


Face My Fears

by Curasha



Series: One Sky, One Destiny [2]
Category: Disney - All Media Types, Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Crossover, Crushes, Drama, FFXV AU, FFXV better be in KH4 or KH 3.7 or something like that, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, KH AU, M/M, More angst, Promptis - Freeform, Smut, angsty teens, but only in one chapter i swear, more adorkable dorks dorking around, not tagging all characters and ships for spoiler reasons, romance for like two seconds, so much more drama, sora and prompto will kill you with their sunshine, there are more characters and ships than this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:28:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 129,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21608323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Curasha/pseuds/Curasha
Summary: It's been a year since Sora and his friends left Eos and the chocobros are back to living their lives in Lucis again. All is well and the gang couldn't be happier and Prompto's connection to Sora still remains. However, when a new darkness threatens Eos, or more specifically, the chocobros, they will need help to fight off this new evil. And what better help than that of old friends? Join the boys on another journey as they fight to protect what they love and as they discover that not everything is what it seems.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Ignis Scientia & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Lunafreya Nox Fleuret/Nyx Ulric, Prompto Argentum & Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Prompto Argentum & Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Riku & Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
Series: One Sky, One Destiny [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1441741
Comments: 106
Kudos: 66





	1. Smiles and Laughter

**Author's Note:**

> Happy FFXV Anniversary!
> 
> Hello everyone, I'm back! And yes, I intentionally waited until Nov. 29 to post this chapter. You don't now how much self-control I had to practice to not post this chapter earlier. 
> 
> Also, Happy Late Thanksgiving!
> 
> And don't worry, I don't think y'all will have to wait too long for chapter updates. I already have some waiting for you.  
> As the tags state, there are many more characters and ships than listed, but I didn't put them up because I didn't want to spoil the story for you guys. And yes, the rating has changed to Mature, but that's because of only one chapter so don't worry, if y'all don't wanna read that bit, I'll make sure to warn y'all.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy! It's great to be back!

_“When you feel someone’s more important than yourself, it may be love.”_

\- Meliadoul (Final Fantasy Tactics)

He was in Cape Caem. That’s all he knew as he opened his eyes and sat up. He was near the shore, sitting on the sand. The usually calm clear waters were crashing violently against rocks. The raging waves seemed intent on destroying anything and everything near the sea, except for Prompto.

Prompto tried to remember how he’d gotten here. His mind was a total blank. He didn’t even remember the past few days. He looked up and saw what appeared to be a giant black hole that was swallowing everything around him. Prompto turned and to his surprise, saw that even the lighthouse was ripped away from the earth and swallowed up by the terrifying force.

He did find it weird that the black hole was consuming everything around him but left him untouched. He stood up from his spot on the sand and squinted his eyes as he saw a figure standing in the water. He couldn’t make much of the figure from this distance. He could tell that their back was to him.

Slowly, but surely, the figure turned around and faced him. The water around the figure rose up, looming above them, making them seem intimidating. The figure then held their hand out invitingly to Prompto.

Prompto didn’t know why, but he quickly ran to the figure, reaching out to grab their hand. But the closer he got, Prompto realized that darkness began to surround the figure. This only urged Prompto to run even faster, to reach the figure before the darkness swallowed them up too.

Just as his hand hovered over the other’s …

Prompto woke up breathing heavily. He threw the covers off since he was sweating profusely and sat up. He held his face in his hands, trying to slow his breathing down.

There was nothing to worry about. He was safe. He was in the Citadel in Insomnia with his friends. He was fine. It was just a dream.

A dream that he had been having for the past few days. And each time he had the dream, it would progress even further. Prompto could only groan at the thought of what the dream would bring next time he had it.

He looked to his left and saw that the spot next to him was empty. It was highly unusual for Noctis be up before him. Usually, Prompto was the one that had to wake the prince from his slumber, and even then it was no easy feat.

So he got up, took a quick shower, brushed his teeth, and got changed. He felt much better now that he was more awake. He greeted the various staff members that he passed as he made his way to the dining hall. When he walked in, he was surprised that no one was there. He approached one of the staff and asked where everyone had gone.

“They are in the gardens, Mr. Argentum.”

“Thank you.” He turned to leave but just as he was about to make his way out of the room, the woman called out to him.

“Happy birthday, Mr. Argentum.”

That’s right. Today was the 25th of October. His birthday.

In all honesty, Prompto had been busy as of late. After all, being part of the prince’s personal Crownsguard meant that he had to accompany him almost everywhere, and for the past few days, Noctis had been going nearly everywhere.

About three months after restoring the light to Lucis, Noctis had finally confronted Bahamut. He had gone back to the astral plane and fought the god that had caused them so much torment all these years. Lunafreya had even helped in channeling light to the prince so he could use her power, being a Princess of Heart and all. With her help, Noctis was able to successfully vanquish the last bit of darkness in their world, Bahamut.

To show their thanks, the rest of the astrals had rebuilt the rest of Insomnia and repaired the rest of Lucis and Tenebrae as well. Gladio had grumbled something about how the gods couldn’t have done that earlier, but Prompto liked the thought of Lucis and Tenebrae being built by both mankind and the astrals. Sounded almost symbolic.

So now that the structural restoration of Lucis was complete, Noctis had been travelling to different parts of the nation to deliver speeches in order to increase loyalty and morale. It had been hectic, going to so many places far and wide. It was tiring as well, for once they were finished in one city, they were moving on to the next the day after.

So when Prompto was informed that they had a week off, he jumped for joy. Today was the third day of their break. He had been spending the past days lounging around with Noctis, enjoying his company and the relative calm and peace they had. He had no idea what he would do today though. Perhaps he would call Lunafreya, see how things were going over in Tenebrae and see if she was doing well.

Prompto and Lunafreya had gotten particularly close. Before Bahamut was taken down and Tenebrae was still being rebuilt, Noctis had wanted to go and help Lunafreya with the reparations to the city. However, Ignis had reminded him that as the prince, he couldn’t leave the kingdom while it was still in disarray. Hearing this, Noctis had become crestfallen. Prompto, not wanting to see his boyfriend in such a state, volunteered to go to Tenebrae himself. Noctis’ eyes shined a bit more that day.

The blonde, accompanied by Crowe, Libertus, and Cor, had spent a month in Tenebrae. Over the course of that time, Prompto and Lunafreya had bonded and soon, they became the best of friends. The two had more in common than they thought and could relate to each other in more than one way. One thing that Prompto figured out about Lunafreya that surprised him was that she had a mischievous side. During his stay, he found himself as an accomplice in her pranks and teasing, specifically toward Ravus, Nyx, and Cor. Eventually, Crowe and Libertus were in on it too. A full prank war eventually broke out over the month. Prompto and Lunafreya obviously won. The princess was not one to be trifled with, especially when it came to pranks. It had saddened Prompto when he had to leave and he had apologized for not being of more help to them. Lunafreya had only smiled and shook her head, saying that he had helped more than enough by bringing smiles to their faces and fun in their time in the city. Ravus had been grateful as well, for his sister had been overworked and stressed for the longest time, so it was nice to see her be happy, carefree, and childish for once.

He missed her and he was sure that Noctis did as well. Perhaps they could visit Tenebrae soon now that reparations had been completed.

He stepped outside into the gardens and smiled as he was greeted with the beautiful sight of fully bloomed golden flowers. Prompto still didn’t know how the flowers ended up blooming shortly after Insomnia was attacked, and no one questioned it.

It wasn’t until he walked farther into the gardens that he saw the pavilion. It was decorated with colorful streamers and balloons. There were various breakfast foods laid out on a table, including his favorite breakfast food, banana chocolate crepes. Noctis, Regis, Aulea, Gladio, and Ignis were there, smiling and yelling out happy birthday greetings (Gladio was the loudest).

Prompto smiled brightly and let out a joyful laugh and ran the last few feet to them. Once under the pavilion, Noctis wrapped his arms around the blonde’s waist and placed a kiss on his lips.

“Happy birthday Prom,” the prince said.

Prompto blushed but didn’t shy away from Noctis (he was getting better at that). He nuzzled his nose against Noctis’ and giggled. “Thank you.”

Next thing Prompto knew was that Noctis was being pushed aside and he was being hugged by someone. Judging by the bulky arms, he figured it was Gladio.

“Happy birthday Blondie!”

Yep, it was Gladio alright.

Prompto laughed. He would have hugged him back, but his arms were being squished to his body. “Thanks, Gladio.”

“You’re finally an adult.”

“Excuse you, I’ve been an adult.”

“But now you’re a leveled-up adult.”

“… you do have a point.”

Once Gladio let go and he was able to breathe again, Regis came up to the blonde and pulled him in for a short hug, giving him a good-natured pat on the back. “Happy birthday my boy. We are all blessed to have you here today.”

“You’re too kind King Regis.”

After a while, Regis had told Prompto to stop referring to him by his title and just call him by his name. Prompto couldn’t do it, saying it didn’t feel right, so he settled for using his title and name.

Aulea walked up to Prompto and hugged him. Prompto liked Aulea’s hugs because they felt like those of a mother. They always felt warm and gentle and comforting. Prompto gladly returned her hug, chin almost resting on her head due to their height difference.

“Happy birthday, dear Prompto. I am glad to have had the past year to know you.”

“Same here Aulea.”

Aulea pulled away and held Prompto’s face in her hands. She then placed a kiss on his forehead. “I couldn’t have asked for a better son-in-law.”

Noctis cleared his throat loudly.

The queen rolled her eyes with a smile. “Sorry. _Future_ son-in-law.”

Prompto chuckled and looked at Ignis who was crossing his arms and had a small smile on his face. The adviser came up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

“I wish you the happiest of birthdays Prompto.”

“Aww, come on Iggy. Don’t I get one of your rare hugs?”

Ignis narrowed his eyes, smile never leaving his face. “No.”

“Please? You know you want to.” The blonde nudged Ignis with his elbow.

Ignis sighed. “… yes, I do.”

“Haha! Come on.” Prompto opened his arms, inviting the other man to hug him.

Ignis just chuckled and shook his head but gave in and hugged the blonde.

“This is already turning out to be an awesome birthday. I got an Iggy Hug!”

Noctis laughed. “Well, it’s about to get better.”

Prompto tilted his head in question and watched as Noctis put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. For a moment, Prompto had no idea what he was supposed to be looking out for. Nothing was happening. Then he realized that he was probably supposed to turn around, so that’s exactly what he did. What he saw in front of him made him run forward.

It was Lunafreya, in all her beauty and regality, standing there with a big smile on her face. She wore a white summer dress with straps that hugged her upper arms. There were little swirls of blue patterns that decorated the dress. She wore navy blue heels and her hair was up in a high ponytail, a sylleblossom broach finishing the look. When she saw the freckled blonde running to her, she laughed and broke out in a run as well, meeting him halfway.

Prompto wrapped his arms around Lunafreya and spun her around. His heart felt so full at the moment. He had his closest friends and the love of his life together to spend his birthday with. Well, almost all of his close friends.

It had been so long since they had seen Sora and the gang. Every once in a while, Prompto would focus on his connection with the boy’s heart just to make sure he was doing well. He assumed he was, for he didn’t feel any sort of negative emotions coming off of the other’s heart. A few days after Sora and the others had left, Prompto had felt a strong surge of love and joy in his heart. It was Sora’s, which meant that he had either returned home, or probably reunited with Kairi. He figured that Sora finally met up with Kairi because he still had to meet that Sid guy before he could return home.

It had been hard for all of them, especially Prompto, to go back to living life before they had met Sora. Most days had felt like something was missing. A lot of times he had found himself sad, but then he would feel an unexpected comforting feeling in his chest, and he knew that Sora never truly left them, not really. He was always there. And the days got easier.

Visiting Lunafreya had especially helped him. She too missed Sora but didn’t let it control the way she lived. She chose to keep Sora in her heart and live her life in the best way she could instead of constantly wishing the boy were here with them. Prompto took her advice to heart.

So having Lunafreya here was a blessing, for she had done so much for him without knowing it.

Prompto put her down and she held onto his shoulders to steady herself. “Happy birthday Prompto. I wish you nothing but happiness on this wonderful day.”

“This is amazing! How are you here?”

“Your prince can be very convincing when he wants to be. Especially when it comes to matters regarding you.”

The two headed back to the pavilion and after Lunafreya had properly greeted everyone, they all sat down to have breakfast.

“You guys running to each other looked like something out of a movie,” Gladio said.

Ignis chuckled as he took a sip of coffee. “I must say that it was quite the spectacle.”

“Yeah. You’ve never gotten that excited to see someone. Not even me,” Noctis said with a teasing smile.

Prompto rolled his eyes. “Well sorry that I only give you kisses as a form of greeting. From now on, I’ll make sure to spin you around every time I see you.”

Lunafreya giggled. “Just like a princess.”

Instead of refuting her statement, Noctis only nodded. “Yep. Just like a princess.”

Regis clapped. “My son everyone. The future Queen of Lucis.”

“I’d make an amazing queen.”

Gladio snorted. “Let’s all take a moment to remember this conversation for future blackmail.”

“Agreed,” Aulea said.

Noctis looked at his mother with shock and said something about her betraying him once again. The whole table broke out into laughter and continued to enjoy breakfast with each other.

Right after breakfast, Noctis had told Prompto that they were going somewhere. He wouldn’t tell him where, just that they were heading off.

So here was Prompto in the passenger seat facing the back of the car in order to talk to Lunafreya, Ignis, and Gladio. Ignis had begrudgingly let the raven drive but Prompto still caught him clutching the door handle at times.

After some time on the road, they went in a tunnel and Prompto could hear music playing. The closer they got to exiting the tunnel, the clearer the music became.

“Is that … the chocobo song?”

A grin appeared on Noctis’ face and he shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Prompto looked forward to see if he could find the source of the music. Once they exited the tunnel, he saw that they were in Lestallum, but the city itself looked different.

It was decorated in a festive way and nearly all its citizens were out and about. He could make out a few stands that sold food and drink and what appeared to be game booths.

“Noct?”

The only acknowledgement that Prompto got from the prince was a chuckle. It wasn’t until Noctis parked the car and everyone got out that he finally said something to Prompto.

“What’s wrong Blondie?” he smirked.

“Don’t you ‘what’s wrong Blondie’ me. What is this? Is it what I think it is?” Prompto asked, a bit of hope and excitement in his eyes.

“I dunno. Why don’t you go find out?”

Prompto looked around at everyone else who only averted their eyes from him. So they were in on it too. Guess he really was going to have to find out for himself.

He walked up the ramp from the parking lot and into the city. Instantly, a cheery woman came up to him and put some sort of hat on his head.

“Welcome to Lestallum’s first ever Moogle Chocobo Festival!”

Prompto’s mouth dropped open. “Wha- What?!”

The woman laughed at his surprise. She was about to say something when her eyes widened and she did a small bow. Prompto was confused at first, but then realized that Noctis must have been coming up from behind him. He was proven right when the prince stood at his side.

“Your Highness!” the woman said.

“Please, you don’t need to bow. I’m just here as an attendee,” Noctis said.

The woman stood. “Once again, on behalf of the city of Lestallum, I would like to thank you for funding this festival. It has been some time since the people have had something to celebrate together.”

“No thanks are needed. It was my pleasure. I just hope that everyone is enjoying the festival.”

“Oh, they are!” Her eyes widened once more when she saw Lunafreya. “Lady Lunafreya! It is an honor, truly!” She was about to bow when Lunafreya gently took her hand and shook her head.

“Do not worry about formalities. Like Prince Noctis, I am here to celebrate with everyone else.”

“I see. Well then, you’re all going to need these to get into the festival spirit!” She held out caps decorated with moogles and chocobos. On the top of the cap, an antenna resembling that of a moogle’s stood up, wobbling to and fro.

Everyone took a cap and put it on. Well, everyone except for Ignis.

“Iggy, put on the cap,” Noctis said.

“I will not. It is a cap for a child.”

“Come on Iggy. We’re wearing them. It ain’t even that bad,” Gladio said.

Ignis narrowed his eyes at the shield who shook his head to make the antennae shake. “No.”

Lunafreya went up to him and gave him a small smile. “Oh Ignis. Where’s your festival spirit? Besides, it is Prompto’s birthday. Just put on this silly cap for one day? For him?”

Ignis threw his head back and sighed. “Alright.”

“Wonderful.” She took a cap and stood on her toes to place it on Ignis’ head. “There. And do not worry. You still look as dashing as ever.”

“I seriously doubt that.”

They all turned to Prompto to find that he was staring at Noctis with admiration. He was giving the prince the softest smile they had ever seen.

“You did all this for me?” he asked.

Noctis wrapped his arms around the blonde’s waist. “Of course I did. I love you. And plus, it’s your birthday and you deserved something nice. And it also benefits the city so it’s a win-win.”

“Hmm, but you’re something nice.”

“You deserved something nice other than me.”

“But you’re all I need.” Prompto inched his face closer to Noctis’.

“Nah. We both know that you can’t live without chocobos.”

“True, true.”

“Ahem.”

The couple turned to see that it was Gladio that had made the noise. “As sweet as it is to see you two all in love, we really don’t wanna see you guys make out. And plus, we’ve got a festival to go to.”

Prompto jumped up, too excited to even be embarrassed. “Oh yeah! Let’s go!” He tugged on Noctis’ hand and dragged him into the city. The group of friends played every game at the festival (Lunafreya won most of them) and Prompto even won a stuffed baby chocobo for Noctis. Prompto got pictures taken with a chocobo and a moogle mascot (he had nearly yelled in excitement when he saw them).

They were now currently eating outside of a small fast food joint, chatting and watching the people as they participated in the festival.

“So Luna, how are Ravus and Nyx doing?” asked Prompto as he scooped up some of his curry with a spoon.

Lunafreya dipped a french fry in ketchup and popped it in her mouth. She had ordered a cheeseburger and fries because she had never tried fast food and wanted to get the greasiest thing on the menu. “Ravus is well. Better than well actually. He met someone during the restoration and cares deeply about her. It’s quite cute, for he keeps asking me for relationship advice.”

“Heh. Someone actually broke through his cold exterior?” Noctis teased.

Lunafreya giggled. “It appears so. She is very pretty and kind. Although, she will not put up with Ravus’ sometimes ridiculous behavior, so they tend to balance each other out.”

“Sounds like an interesting young lady,” Ignis commented.

“She is indeed. Perhaps you will all be able to meet her one day.”

“That would be awesome. And we would totally be able to embarrass Ravus in front of her,” Prompto said, shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth. “So, what about Nyx?”

A thoughtful look came upon the princess’ face. “I don’t know how he is at the moment.”

“What? Why? You guys aren’t fighting, are you?” Prompto asked worryingly.

Lunafreya shook her head. “No, no. Nothing of the sort. I merely meant that since he’s at the Citadel, I don’t know how he is feeling at the moment.” She gave the freckled blonde a teasing smile.

“Oh, thank gods you had me worried there for a sec- Wait. He’s here? Nyx is in Insomnia?”

This seemed to surprise everyone as well, except for Noctis.

“Nyx is here? Why didn’t he come with?” asked Gladio.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t have minded,” Prompto said.

“Trust me, I had mentioned it to him but he wanted to take this time to catch up with Crowe and Libertus,” Lunafreya answered.

“Ah, that makes sense. I almost forgot that those three were close friends,” Ignis said.

Lunafreya played with a french fry and smiled. “He had missed them dearly. I have told him many times before that he can return to Insomnia whenever he likes. He is not tied to me.” A blush coated her cheeks and she looked up. “But then he always tells me that he can’t go back to Insomnia because it doesn’t have me. He tells me that he is tied to me, because our fates are intertwined.”

“Didn’t take Nyx to be the sappy romantic type,” Noctis said with a smirk.

Her blush deepened. “He is the sappiest. Maybe not ‘make a whole festival for your lover’s birthday’ sappy, but it’s close.”

Prompto choked on his drink at hearing the word ‘lover.’ Noctis patted his back. “You okay?”

Catching his breath, the blonde nodded. “Yeah. Just went down the wrong tube, that’s all.”

After some more chatting and eating, Noctis stood up and held out his hand to the blonde, saying that he wanted to show him something. Prompto smiled and took his hand, following him. On the way to their destination, Noctis stopped at a stand and got two frozen treats, one in the shape of a moogle and the other a chocobo. Of course, Prompto got the chocobo one. Noctis led them down to the small parking lot and walked all the way to the small stone barrier. He climbed over it and sat on the ledge, gesturing for Prompto to do the same. The blonde did, albeit rather slowly, and took his spot right next to the raven.

Prompto chuckled. “Oh boy. This feels familiar.”

“At least you won’t be able to fall to your death here.”

Prompto looked down. “I think I can.”

“Nah. I don’t think it’s high enough. Plus, I wouldn’t let that happen to you anyway.”

“Aww, you really are a sap.”

“Hey, this sap brought the Moogle Chocobo Festival to you,” Noctis laughed.

“And I love you even more now, if that’s possible. Cause I love you, like, immensely.”

Noctis leaned into Prompto, his face a hair’s breadth away. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Noctis placed a tender kiss on Prompto’s lips. “Ditto.”

The blonde laughed and leaned his head on Noctis’ shoulder. They were now both looking ahead at the sunset. They ate their treats in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. Once they were finished, and all that was left were popsicle sticks and a sun that was nearly gone, Prompto took his head off Noctis’ shoulder and faced him.

“So, there’s something that I’ve been meaning to talk to you about for some time,” Prompto said, fighting to keep his eyes trained on the raven.

“Yeah? What is it?”

Prompto bit his lip and began to twiddle his thumbs in nervousness. “I … uhh … it’s just that …”

Noctis grabbed his hands and held them in his. “Prom, you can tell me anything. It’s okay.” He gave him a reassuring smile.

Prompto closed his eyes and took a breath. “Okay. It’s just that, I’ve been thinking about it and have been wanting to bring it up for a while but was always to chicken to do it and I didn’t know how you would react and I didn’t wanna scare you off or anything and it’s also a bit embarrassing to bring up but sitting here with you made me think ‘you know, fuck it, I’ma tell him’ but now that I’m trying to I’m freaking out-”

Noctis squeezed the blonde’s hands, putting a stop to his rambling. “Prom. What is it?”

Prompto’s cheeks were tinted red. “Okay, before I say it, I just want you to know that you don’t have to agree to anything just cause it’s my birthday, alright? It’s totally up to you.”

Noctis nodded. “Okay Prom.”

“Okay.” Prompto squeezed Noctis’ hands. “So, we’ve been together for a year now and it’s been the best time of my life so far. But I’ve been thinking that maybe … maybe we could take our relationship to the next stage?”

Noctis raised a brow in confusion. “You wanna get married?”

Prompto’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “No, no! I mean, not right now at least! I mean, technically that would be the next stage if this were an earlier time era but- but that’s not what I mean!”

“Oh. So what stage are you talking about then?”

“Nooooct. Are you really gonna make me say it?”

“Well, if you want me to know what you’re talking about, you’re gonna have to tell me.”

Prompto covered his face with his hands and groaned. He said something, but it was muffled.

“Didn’t quite catch that,” Noctis said.

Prompto put his hands down. “I want you to make love to me!” As soon as he said it, he gasped and covered his mouth with his hands.

Noctis looked at the blonde with wide eyes. “You- you what?”

“See, that was the reaction I was hoping not to get. I’m just gonna … I’m just gonna slide off this ledge right here …”

Noctis shook his head and held the blonde’s face in his hands. “No, no, no! I was just surprised that’s all. I mean, I thought you still wanted to wait and all so that’s why I never brought it up. So, hearing you bringing it up just surprised me that’s all. In a good way!”

“Really?” Prompto asked, eyes hopeful.

“Well, yeah. I’ve been wanting to … but I never brought it up cause I didn’t want you to feel pressured or anything. I guess what I’m trying to say is …” Noctis leaned his forehead against Prompto’s and looked into his eyes. “I would be honored to make love to you.”

Prompto chuckled. “You really are a sap.”

“Yeah, but I’m your sap.”

They kissed just as the sun disappeared behind the horizon.

* * *

After the fireworks show, the gang headed back home. It was still a bit weird to be driving at night without worrying about daemons, but it was, of course, a nice change.

Lunafreya folded her arms on the car door and rested her chin atop them. She watched as the world passed them by and relished in the cool night air hitting her face. She looked up at the stars lighting up the night sky and smiled.

To think that every one of those stars was a world warmed her heart. It almost felt like they were watching over them. She idly wondered which star Sora was on. She liked to think it was the one that shined the brightest. His presence could only cause a star to shine brighter than the others.

The ride back home was quiet. Not in a bad way. Everyone was just content to enjoy the peace and quiet with each other. It was nice to do nothing with friends sometimes.

When they arrived at the Citadel, they all bid each other good night. Prompto hugged her especially tight and assured him that she would still be here for a few more days. After that, she retired to her bed chambers and found none other than Nyx leaning outside her door. He smiled upon seeing her face.

“Hey,” he greeted.

Lunafreya’s heart skipped a beat at seeing him. She would never get used to the feelings she would get at seeing Nyx.

“Hi,” she said as she walked up to him.

Nyx wrapped his arms around her waist. “So, how was the festival?”

She smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Splendid. I finally tried my first hamburger.”

Nyx feigned a gasp. “What? The Princess of Tenebrae ate a greasy, heart attack inducing burger?”

The blonde giggled. “It was tasty, albeit a bit messy but that’s what made it fun. All in all, the festival was something we all needed. It was nice to be with everyone in a carefree environment.”

“I told you, you work too much.”

“Nonsense. I don’t work enough.”

“You don’t relax enough.”

Lunafreya narrowed her eyes. “Neither do you.”

“Cause you don’t.”

She smirked. “Are you suggesting that it’s my fault that you don’t ever take a break?”

“Depends. If I said yes, would you actually take one?”

“Hmm, perhaps.”

“Then yes. It is definitely your fault that I’m overworked and on the brink of death.”

Lunafreya chuckled. “You are so dramatic.”

Nyx leaned in closer to her. “You love when I’m dramatic.” He placed a chaste kiss on her lips.

“I do.” She kissed him, this one lasting much longer than their previous one. Soon, one kiss turned into two, then three, four, until they lost track of time. Lunafreya hadn’t even realized that they stepped into her room until she pulled back to catch her breath.

“Figured you didn’t want any guards seeing you make-out with your … what am I?”

Luna smiled and shook her head. “You’re my boyfriend who just happens to be my overprotective bodyguard.” She kissed him deeply, letting out a sigh of contentment. His hold on her tightened, as if she would disappear at any moment. “I am not going anywhere. You know that, don’t you?” she asked.

Nyx sighed and rested his chin on her head. “I know. It’s just that, sometimes I can’t believe that out of all the people in the world, you chose to love me. Just gotta remind myself that this is real and not a dream.”

“Do not worry. All is well.”

“I know that now.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “I should probably let you get some rest now. Don’t know what the boys will have planned for tomorrow.”

“Stay.”

“Huh?”

“Stay with me. I’ll sleep better with you by my side,” she whispered.

Nyx was hesitant at first. In the beginning of their relationship, Lunafreya had told him that she would not have sex before marriage. He had seen that she had been a bit nervous in telling him this, but he thought it was cute. He respected her decision. Now that she was asking him to stay, even if it was just to sleep by her side, he felt somewhat nervous.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like you have to-”

She put a finger to his lips, silencing him. “Nyx, while I do appreciate your concern, trust me, I am sure. It’s just sleeping. Nothing else will happen.”

Nyx placed a kiss on her nose and smiled. “Okay.”

After changing into their sleepwear, Lunafreya wore a light blue nightgown that reached just past her knees, and Nyx wore black sweatpants and a grey t-shirt. He usually slept shirtless, but for the sake of decency, he wore a shirt.

Lunafreya got in bed and gestured for Nyx to do the same. Once he was lying by her, he opened his arms as she snuggled up against his chest.

“You’re warm,” she said.

“Good. Then you won’t freeze to death in your sleep,” Nyx said with slight amusement.

Lunafreya chuckled and closed her eyes, listening to his heartbeat.

“As long as I’m with you, I am safe.”


	2. Last of the Real Ones

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!!PLEASE READ!!!
> 
> Alrighty so this is the chapter that gave this work the M-rating. Because the series started off with the T-rating, I'll put a warning in this chapter when the ... saucy stuff begins, so look out for the asterisks! They'll indicated when the smut starts and ends. 
> 
> So when I was writing this chapter, I was listening to what I deem the Promptis song, Last of the Real Ones by Fall Out Boy. Every time I hear this song I just think, Promptis. If you haven't heard the song, you should cause it's so good and it should be the Promptis Anthem XD
> 
> Anyway, hope y'all enjoy the chapter! This one is one of my favorites so far!

_“I’m here at the beginning of the end_

_Oh, the end of infinity with you”_

\- Fall Out Boy, _The Last of the Real Ones_

_I was just an only child of the universe_

_And then I found you_

_And then I found you_

Noctis still remembers the day his whole life changed.

He had been 15 at the time, living each day in the same manner. He still hadn’t made any friends, for they all treated him like a prince and continuously fawned over him. He just wanted to find one real person, a person who genuinely wanted to be his friend. And not for his status or wealth, but for the teenage boy he was.

And then life threw Prompto Argentum at his face. And he was not ready to catch him.

It was his first day of high school and Ignis had just dropped him off at the front of the school. He was walking by himself, as usual, to the doors, when someone clapped him on the back. He almost stumbled but managed to maintain his balance. He stood straight and was on full alert, ready to face whatever threat had just disturbed him.

Only to see that there was no threat, but rather a cheery blonde teenage boy.

“Hey there Prince Noctis!” the blonde greeted with a bright smile.

That’s the first thing Noctis had noticed about him. He was extremely bright. He seemed to radiate sunshine, almost as if he was the sun itself. It almost made Noctis want to squint.

“Uh, hi,” Noctis said, a bit unsure as to how he was supposed to go about this. He didn’t have much experience when it came to social interaction, so this was still new to him.

“I’m Prompto Argentum! Nice to meetcha!”

Noctis couldn’t help but do a quick once over of Prompto. He remembered seeing him a few years back in middle school. He had looked much more different, but he was still able to recognize the eyes and freckles.

An amused smile appeared on the prince’s face. “Nice to meet you, Prompto.” He tested his name out, just to see how it felt. He decided he liked saying Prompto’s name. It felt natural on his lips and tongue to pronounce each syllable that made up the name.

“So, where you headed?”

Noctis raised a brow, but his small smile never left his face. “School?”

This caused Prompto to laugh. “No dude. I meant, what class are you going to?”

Noctis instantly felt stupid. It should have been obvious that that’s what the other boy meant. Why did he have to be such an airhead sometimes?

“I have science first, in room 108B.”

“Really? So do I.” He waved his schedule in the air. “You know where it is?”

Noctis shook his head, a bit embarrassed that he didn’t even know his way around the school. “No …”

“Me neither. Wanna go find it together? That way, if we’re late, at least we’ll be late together and not have the whole class ogling each one of us individually.”

A small chuckle escaped Noctis. “Sure.”

In the end, they did end up being late and received many stares from their classmates. Their teacher let it go since it was their first day. Noctis and Prompto ended up sitting next to each other in science and other classes that they had together. This carried over to lunch as well.

Even with Prompto, Noctis still received stares from other students, but he couldn’t help but see that these ones were different. They weren’t stares of awe or admiration. They seemed to be more of surprise or shock, and he knew exactly why.

It was because Noctis had finally found a true friend.

_You are the sun and I am just the planets_

_Spinning around you_

_Spinning around you_

Noctis’ favorite birthday had been when he had turned 16.

He never really cared about his birthday. It wasn’t a big deal to him. His birthday was the same every year. He would go to school and get many birthday greetings from nearly everyone and sometimes, no, all the times he would get small exquisite gifts from people he didn’t even know. After school, he would have a formal dinner with his father, not really conversing much as usual, then go to bed.

Safe to say, his birthdays were pretty uneventful.

Well, they were until Prompto kidnapped him on the morning of his 16th birthday.

Okay, so the blonde didn’t actually kidnap him, but he did make him ditch school that day. He had called the raven, telling him that they weren’t going to school today, and who was Noctis to disagree with his best friend that knew how to be more of a teenager than him?

So, after getting dropped off at school, Noctis began heading to the doors until Ignis drove off. Once he did, the teen halted his steps and began to text the blonde only for him to show up behind him.

“You ready?”

Noctis jumped and almost dropped his phone. He turned around and eyed the blonde skeptically. “Where are we going?”

Prompto shook his head. “It’s a surprise. You’ll just have to wait and see for yourself.” Prompto put a finger to his lips in thought. “It’s not too far from here, about a 10-minute walk from here, but you can’t walk …”

“Wait, wait. Why can’t I walk?”

“Cause it’s your birthday dude! Can’t have the Crown Prince doing all that strenuous activity on his special day.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Fine then. I’ll call us a cab or something.”

“Nah uh. We’re gonna celebrate your birthday without resorting to any princely methods.”

Noctis snorted. “Princely methods?”

“Yep.” Prompto’s face suddenly lit up with an idea. He shrugged off his jacket and rolled up his sleeves (Noctis might have stared at his forearms) and slightly crouched down. “Alright, hop on.”

“What?! No, I’m not gonna ride you!” Noctis’ face instantly turned red and Prompto burst out into laughter.

“I sure hope you won’t,” Prompto said in between giggles. “Come on, Noct. Just hop on my back.”

“Nah uh. No way.” Noctis crossed his arms and shook his head in defiance.

Prompto shrugged and stood up. “Alright then. You leave me no choice.”

“Wait, Prom what are you-” The prince let out a yelp as he was suddenly lifted off his feet. He frantically wrapped his arms around the blonde’s neck. “Prompto! What the hell?!”

The blonde was carrying Noctis, bridal style, with a rather triumphant grin on his face. “I’m being your _ride_.” He emphasized the word, clearly making fun of Noctis’ word choice earlier.

“Prom, put me down.”

“Sorry Princess. If you don’t wanna ride me like a true man, then you’re just gonna have to be carried around like a fair maiden.”

The raven narrowed his eyes. “Prompto Argentum, I swear to the gods that if you don’t put me down this instant I’ll -”

Prompto chuckled. “Aww, is Noct trying to use his princely authority on me?”

Noctis scoffed. “Fuck you.”

“Sorry buddy. That’s one birthday wish I can’t grant you.”

Noctis threw his head back and groaned. “Okay, fine! I’ll climb on your stupid back.”

Prompto smirked. “Promise.”

Noctis rolled his eyes and held up his right hand. “I, Prince Noctis Lucis Caelum, do solemnly swear to climb on Prompto Argentum’s back and be carried to our destination on this day. There, happy?”

Prompto smiled. “Very.”

He put the prince down and Noctis couldn’t help but miss the feel of the blonde’s arms holding him. He shook the thought out and instead climbed on Prompto, allowing him to carry him piggyback.

After a few minutes of walking, for Prompto that is, the blonde said, “You know, you should blush more. It suits you. It’s kinda cute.”

Noctis felt his face heat up. “What the – Why would you even say something that random?!”

Prompto chuckled. “Cause it’s true. Makes you look less ‘intimidating’ or ‘emo’ as our fellow classmates like to say. You just look human and not like some emotionless robot.”

“I’m not emotionless,” the prince murmured.

“Dude, I know you’re not, but to everyone else you come off like that. You don’t need to hide what you feel. Feeling is part of being human. Prince or no prince, you’re allowed to feel things.” The blonde shook his head and sighed. “This turned serious very quick. And here I was just trying to tease you for blushing.”

“I didn’t blush.”

“The moment you realized I was carrying you, your cheeks were as red as tomatoes Noct.”

Noctis just rested his chin on Prompto’s shoulder and grumbled.

“I meant what I said though.” Prompto turned his head to look at the prince from the corner of his eye. “You really do look cute when you blush. Could really charm some girls, or guys, whatever way you roll.”

A small smile crept onto the raven’s face without him knowing. He felt his cheeks heat up again. “Thanks, Prompto.”

Eventually, Prompto stopped in front of a familiar diner.

“The Crowe’s Nest?”

“Yep,” Prompto said as he put Noctis down. “I know how much you liked it the few times we came here.”

“You mean the few times that Ignis let me eat here.”

“But Ignis isn’t here now, is he?” A mischievous smile spread on Prompto’s face.

Noctis reciprocated the smile. “You’re a bad influence, you know that right?”

The blonde chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “Am I?”

“Yep, but I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

“Hey, I’m the one that’s supposed to say all this mushy stuff to you. It’s your birthday.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Well then, lead the way Sir Prompto.”

“Oh, so I have a title now?” Prompto asked teasingly as he pushed the door open.

“Yep. Someone has to be my knight for the day since Gladio isn’t here.”

Prompto laughed but it was quickly cut short once they both stepped into the diner. Noctis was about to ask the blonde what was wrong when Prompto suddenly threw his jacket onto his face. Noctis then felt hands grab his shoulders and lead him to a booth where he sat down. Once he was seated, Noctis took off the jacket from his face and looked up at a standing Prompto who was looking around the diner with frantic eyes.

“What the hell was that?” Noctis asked.

“Sorry. Just forgot that people would be able to recognize you. Can’t have Iggy or your dad finding out you skipped school.”

Noctis raised a brow and looked around the diner, realizing that they were in a booth that was in the back corner. Noctis was seated so that he was facing away from the customers and employees.

“You do realize that the school is gonna call Ignis by the end of the day to tell him.”

“Yeah, but that happens once the deed is done. And don’t worry, I’ll take full responsibility and say that I kidnapped you.”

“You say that, and you won’t even live ‘till your next birthday.”

“… but that’s in like, a month and a half.”

“Exactly.”

Prompto shrugged. “Guess I’ll just die then.”

Noctis snorted. “Just as loyal as a knight too.”

“Now what can this knight order for his prince?”

“The usual.”

“Got it. Be right back.”

Noctis was about to tell Prompto to take his card to pay but stopped himself. He knew that his friend liked to treat him when he could. Plus, last time he tried to fight Prompto on paying for something … well, it was safe to say that Noctis needed to work on building more arm muscle.

A few minutes later, Prompto returned with their food. He placed Noctis’ burger in front of him and the prince was surprised to see a lit-up candle sticking out of the bun.

“Happy birthday Noct,” Prompto said with one of his signature bright smiles as he slid an envelope to the prince. “Gotta make a wish before you blow out the candle.”

Noctis chuckled. He stared at the candle for a few seconds, then blew it out. He picked up the envelope and looked at Prompto. “What’s this?”

“A promise.”

Noctis opened the envelope and the single sheet of folded paper inside. He read through the contents and looked up with wide eyes at the blonde.

“Prom, no. I can’t let you do this.”

Prompto reached across the table and placed his hand on top of Noctis’. “I want to do it. Trust me. I’ve never been more sure of anything else in my life.”

“But Prom, you’re basically throwing your life away-”

“If I get to be by your side, I’m not throwing it away.”

Noctis stared at his friend until the blonde began to get uncomfortable.

“Look Noct I-”

“Get up.”

“Noct?”

“I said get up.”

Prompto slid out of the booth and stood, watching the prince with uncertainty as he got out of the booth as well and stood in front of him. Noctis looked at the blonde for a few more seconds until he pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. He held onto the other as if his life depended on it.

“Thanks Prom. Thank you so much,” he choked out.

Prompto returned the hug and patted the raven’s back. “Don’t mention it buddy. Now you don’t have to worry about how much time we have left together. As a matter of fact, you’ll probably be worrying about finding time to spend away from me from now on.” He chuckled at his last statement.

Noctis shook his head, still holding onto Prompto. “I could never get tired of you Prompto.”

The paper had a written pledge on it from Prompto, promising that once he was of age, he would be a part of Noctis’ Crownsguard if the prince would have him. The pledge was signed by Prompto of course, and Ignis and Gladio, promising to help train the boy in the meantime.

When Noctis had read through the paper, he couldn’t believe it. He thought that once he would graduate, he would have to say goodbye to Prompto, for his princely duties would probably keep him occupied 24/7. And it had hurt him everyday to know that one day he would have to let the blonde go.

But now … now he would be at his side for life.

“So, what’d you wish for?” Prompto asked once they parted.

The raven smirked. “Can’t tell or it won’t come true.”

“Aww, come on! I’m your best bud! You gotta tell me!”

Noctis shook his head. “Nope. Can’t risk it.”

It was a bit silly, but Noctis couldn’t help but have that small sliver of hope that his wish would become a reality. It was highly unlikely to happen, but Noctis could still dream.

Who knew that four years later his wish would come true?

_You were too good to be true_

_Gold plated_

_But what’s inside you_

_But what’s inside you_

It wasn’t until the summer after their second year of high school that Noctis realized he was in love with Prompto, although he suspected that he had felt this way for much longer.

Noctis had invited Prompto to go fishing with him and while the blonde thought the activity would be quite dull, he still tagged along. They had gone to a quiet little fishing spot, just a bit on the outskirts of Insomnia. Gladio and Ignis accompanied them of course but decided to stay in the car and keep an eye on the prince from there.

Noctis was actually quite happy to have some alone time with Prompto. He always enjoyed being around the other teen. He made him feel happy. He felt that he could be himself around Prompto and that he wouldn’t judge him at all for it.

It was a nice feeling.

Even when he started talking about fishing as he helped Prompto with his fishing rod, the blonde never stopped his rambling or interrupted him. He just smiled and listened, and that made Noctis’ heart go crazy.

Unfortunately, as much as Noctis explained the whole fishing process to Prompto, the freckled teen still had trouble casting the line.

“Dude, you don’t have to be afraid of casting it farther,” Noctis teased after Prompto’s sixth try. The line was floating on top of the water just a couple of feet away from them.

“Easy for you to say. You’re basically a pro at this,” Prompto replied as he reeled the line in.

“I wasn’t always.”

“Really?”

“Nah, I totally have always been a pro fisher.”

“Well fuck you too.”

Noctis laughed at the blonde’s remark and watched as he prepared himself to cast the line again. “Hold up,” he said, stopping Prompto from doing anything further. He stepped behind the other teen and held his arms in the correct position. “You wanna hold it like this, and make sure you have a good grip on the handle. And then you just …” Noctis moved Prompto’s arms so that he casted the line a good distance away from them and that the lure was actually submerged in the water.

Prompto’s eyes lit up with excitement and he let out a joyful laugh. It was at that moment that all time seemed to halt for the raven. The sunlight was hitting Prompto’s face at just the right angle, bringing out the blue and violet hues of his eyes. His freckles were more pronounced and they almost seemed to shine. His golden locks seemed to glow. He seemed almost … ethereal.

Noctis had never seen anything more beautiful in his entire life.

“Noct? Earth to Noct?”

Noctis blinked. “What?”

“I asked if you were okay, dude.” Prompto had a concerned expression on his face. When Noctis just sent him a questioning glance, he said, “You had this look on your face like you either won the lottery, or someone killed a puppy right in front of you.”

“Okay, first of all, if I won the lottery I would totally not care.”

Prompto rolled his eyes, a hint of a smile on his lips. “You know what I mean.” He placed a hand on Noctis’ shoulder, looking at him with earnest eyes. “But seriously, are you okay?”

Noctis smiled, eyes never once leaving the blonde’s.

“Perfect.”

_I know this whole damn city thinks it needs you_

_But not as much as I do_

_As much as I do_

Now, as Noctis walked hand in hand with Prompto to his chambers, he couldn’t help but be nervous and excited at the same time. Being intimate with the blonde was something that had crossed Noctis’ mind quite a few times before, but now that it was actually going to happen, he was very aware of how scared he was of disappointing the other.

Sure, Prompto didn’t have any experience either but that didn’t matter to Noctis. What mattered is that Prompto enjoyed himself. He only deserved the best.

The prince could only hope that he was that for Prompto.

Once they reached the door to his room, Noctis opened it and gestured for Prompto to enter. “After you, birthday boy.”

Prompto giggled and stepped into the room. Ever since they had returned to the Citadel a year ago, the blonde had slept in the prince’s room. It just felt natural for the both of them.

Once Noctis closed the door, he barely had enough time to brace himself before the blonde attacked him with a deep kiss. Noctis moaned as he felt Prompto’s tongue probe his mouth and he repaid him in kind.

_I am a collapsing star with tunnel vision_

_But only for you_

_But only for you_

Prompto pulled away breathlessly and rested his head against Noctis’. “Thank you for today.” He ran his fingers through the raven’s hair.

Noctis smiled and rested his hands against the small of Prompto’s back. “Anything for you Prom.”

Prompto hid his face in the raven’s shoulder and groaned. “You can’t say things like that Noct.”

Noctis chuckled. “Why not?”

“Cause it makes me love you even more and … want to love you even more.” He pulled away to look at Noctis with shy eyes and reddened cheeks.

Noctis whined. “Prom, if you keep saying things like that, I’m not gonna be able to control myself.”

Prompto whispered, in a breathy tone, “Then what are you waiting for?”

_My head is stripped just like a screw that’s been tightened too many times_

_When I think of you_

_When I think of you_

_**************************************************************************************_

Noctis grabbed Prompto’s face and kissed him hungrily. Prompto kissed the prince back with fervor and buried a hand in the raven’s hair while the other wrapped around his neck and tried to pull Noctis even closer.

Noctis, getting the hint, pulled the blonde flush against him. After a few minutes of kissing, Noctis moved to the juncture of Prompto’s neck. He began placing open-mouthed kisses when he heard Prompto let out a loud moan.

Noctis stopped and looked up at the blonde, smirking. “You’re sensitive there?”

“N- no …”

Noctis sucked on the spot, causing Prompto to throw his head back and moan. Noctis swirled his tongue around the skin and pulled back once a red mark was left behind.

“Fuck. I’m not gonna be able to hide that,” Prompto said breathlessly.

“Good.”

Noctis pulled away and took off his own shirt. He smirked when he saw Prompto staring at him. “Like what you see?”

“I always do. Just seeing you without a shirt is icing on the cake.”

Noctis took a step closer and lifted the bottom of the blonde’s shirt. Prompto snapped out of his daze and quickly pulled it off himself. He then ran his fingers along the prince’s chest admiringly. Noctis wasn’t prepared for Prompto suddenly pushing him onto the bed. He quickly kicked off his boots and socks and Prompto did the same. Noctis lifted himself up on his elbows to see Prompto straddling him.

Prompto smiled and leaned down to kiss Noctis. Noctis held Prompto’s hips and kissed him back, sighing happily. Feeling a bit daring, Prompto rolled his hips against the raven’s. Noctis’ breath hitched and he bucked up his hips, his grip on Prompto tightening.

Prompto lightly bit Noctis’ bottom lip and whispered, “Fuck, Noct.”

Deciding to be cheeky, Noctis replied, “I hope so.”

Prompto sat up and narrowed his eyes at him. “You think you’re so funny.”

“Of course. I’m hilari- ahh!”

Prompto had interrupted Noctis’ snarky response by kissing and licking down his chest. When he reached Noctis’ pants, he looked up at the prince.

“Can I?”

Noctis looked down at Prompto with hooded eyes and nodded. “Fuck yes.”

Prompto’s eyes lit up as he made quick work of Noctis’ pants. Once the piece of clothing was off, Prompto leaned down and kissed the tent that was formed by Noctis’ growing erection.

Noctis groaned and rolled his hips. “Prom, I’m supposed to be pleasing you. It’s your birthday.”

Prompto smirked up at him. “And as the birthday boy, I want to taste you.”

Noctis made an incoherent sound and stared at the blonde with wide eyes. Prompto leaned up until he was face to face with the raven. “So, can I Noct? Can I taste you? Pretty, pretty please?”

Noctis was completely baffled and completely turned on. The blonde was smiling brightly at him with pleading eyes, asking if he could suck him off. And who was he to deny Prompto’s birthday wish?

“Ye- yeah.”

Prompto crushed his lips against the raven’s and lowered down to his hips. He slowly pulled Noctis’ boxer briefs down, causing his erection to spring up. Prompto’s mouth watered and he licked his lips.

“Gods Noct. You’re fucking gorgeous.”

Noctis could only watch as Prompto kissed the tip of his member, causing shivers to run down his body. Then, the blonde took the tip into his mouth, tongue swirling over the head. Noctis threw his head back and moaned, burying his fingers in Prompto’s blonde hair.

Prompto looked Noctis in the eyes and winked before he took nearly all of Noctis’ member into his mouth. Noctis was trying so hard to not move his hips. He failed quite a few times, for his hips tended to buck up a bit on their own accord. Prompto held the raven’s hips down, never once ceasing his ministrations.

Noctis shut his eyes, focusing on the feeling of Prompto’s mouth around him. It felt hot, wet, and oh so good. The feeling only intensified when Prompto began humming around his erection.

“Prom I- I’m not … hnngh … g-gonna la- ahhh … m-much longer.”

Prompto raised his head from Noctis’ member momentarily to smile and say, “Oh I’m counting on it.” He then took the raven’s erection back into his mouth.

Noctis screamed and couldn’t help when he began thrusting into the blonde’s mouth. Prompto didn’t stop him this time. His eyes watered and he almost gagged a few times, but it was all worth it if he could get those wonderful sounds to come out from Noctis’ lips.

“Ahhh!”

With one final thrust and a harsh tug to Prompto’s hair, Noctis came in the blonde’s mouth. Prompto greedily lapped up every last drop of the prince’s seed, humming in contentment. He pulled away and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

“How … how does it taste?” Noctis asked as he tried to catch his breath.

“Sweet and salty,” answered Prompto.

Noctis groaned. “Oh gods. We can’t ever use that to describe sea salt ice cream ever again.” He raised a brow at the blonde. “Sweet?”

Prompto nodded. “What flavor was the ice cream you ate earlier?”

“Hmm. Pineapple I think.”

“Ahh, that’s why.”

Noctis snorted. “So, pineapple makes cum taste sweet?”

Prompto laughed. “Basically.” He raised himself to Noctis’ level. “What about you? How was it?” There was a hint of worry in his voice.

Noctis held the back of Prompto’s head with one hand and pulled him in closer. “You were amazing, Prom.”

Realizing that Noctis was trying to kiss him, Prompto said, “But Noct, I just-”

“I don’t fucking care,” the prince practically growled before he pulled Prompto into a searing kiss. With his other hand, he reached down until he was cupping the blonde’s bulging erection. “You’re still wearing too many clothes.”

“Then do something about it.”

Noctis flipped their positions so quickly that it surprised Prompto. He looked up at the prince with wide eyes and bated breath.

“Oh, I will.”

_I will shield you from the waves_

_If they find you_

_I will protect you_

_I will protect you_

Noctis reached down to Prompto’s pants and grumbled when he fumbled with the belt. “You and your belts.”

Prompto laughed. “They’re stylish!”

“They’re unnecessary.” Noctis finally undid the belt and pulled off the blonde’s pants. “Besides, your clothes are tight already so there’s no point in wearing belts,” he teased.

“Excuse me Mr. ‘I like to wear shirts that are exactly my size so I can kill my boyfriend.”

Noctis shrugged in response. He pulled Prompto’s own boxer briefs down, staring at the blonde’s erection. He looked up at Prompto, then back down at his member.

Prompto tilted his head. “You’re planning something. That’s your thinking face.”

“Maybe …”

Noctis made his way up to Prompto’s chest and began sucking on a nipple. He played with the other one and grabbed Prompto’s member with his other hand, stroking it steadily.

“Ahhh … haaaaa …” Prompto couldn’t keep quiet as the different sensations began to overwhelm him.

Noctis ran his tongue over the blonde’s nipple once it became hard. He lightly bit it and moved on to the other one, giving it the same treatment. His strokes quickened as Prompto started to thrust into his hand.

“N- Noct! I … haaa … I need …” Prompto fisted the sheets.

“What do you need Prom?” Noctis asked with a husky voice.

Prompto let out a whine. “You! I- I want you inside me!”

Noctis stopped what he was doing and went up to kiss Prompto’s lips. “Are you sure?”

Prompto smiled. “As sure as you’re gay.”

Noctis chuckled against the blonde’s lips and pecked them once more. “Must be pretty damn sure then.”

He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a small bottle from the drawer.

“You just happened to have lube?” Prompto asked teasingly.

Noctis rolled his eyes and flipped the cap on the bottle. “Had to be prepared for whenever we would do the do.”

Prompto snorted. “Do the do?”

“Do the do, tango, make love, sex, fuck … does it matter what I call it?”

Prompto wrapped his arms around the prince’s neck and hummed. “I guess not. So long as you do it.”

Noctis squirted some lube onto his fingers. “Don’t worry Blondie. I will.”

Noctis inserted a finger into the blonde’s entrance, watching as he writhed a bit at the new sensation. He slowly thrusted his finger into the blonde.

“How does it feel?” he asked, genuinely curious.

“It feels … strange. Not in a bad way. Just that nothing’s ever been there, you know?” Prompto answered.

Noctis hummed in acknowledgement. After another minute or so, he added a second finger. Prompto tensed up a bit but relaxed after a moment. Noctis curled his fingers, causing the freckled blonde to let out a beautiful moan.

“Okay, now that … ahhh … that feels good.”

Noctis smirked. “Good.”

Once Noctis added a third finger, Prompto hissed and scrunched up his face. Noctis instantly stopped.

“Hurts?” he asked, worry evident in his tone.

“A bit, but I mean, it’s gonna hurt so it’s okay. Nothing I can’t handle. Just … just go slow, okay?”

Noctis kissed the blonde’s lips softly in reassurance. “Of course, Prom. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

At first, Prompto was in some pain, but eventually, the pleasure outweighed the pain, especially when Noctis hit a certain spot.

“Oh my gods Noct! R- right there!”

Just watching Prompto’s reactions was causing Noctis to get hard again. “Fuck Prom. You’re so fucking hot.”

“Noct, shut up and kiss me.”

_Just tell me, tell me, tell me, I_

_I am the only one_

_Even if it’s not true_

_Even if it’s not true_

Noctis was more than happy to oblige. Their kisses were sloppy and desperate, but they didn’t care. All they wanted was to get as close as possible to each other.

“Hnngh … Noct … please. I- I’m ready for you.”

“You sure? I don’t want to hurt-” He was cut off as Prompto pulled him in by the hair.

“Noctis Lucis Fucking Caelum. If you don’t fuck me this instant, I swear I’ll flip us over and ride you myself.”

Noctis’ eyes widened in surprise. He removed his fingers and squirted more lube on his hand, coating his member with it. “That sounds fun, but maybe some other time,” he responded with a devilish smirk. He lined himself up with the blonde’s entrance and kissed him. “I love you.”

Prompto sighed against the raven’s lips. “I love you too.”

And with that, Noctis slowly entered Prompto, pausing midway to allow the other to adjust. Prompto screamed and arched his back at the pain and pleasure of Noctis finally being inside him. A few tears streamed down his face but Noctis kissed them away.

“Just tell me when you’re ready to keep going,” Noctis said.

After a few moments, Prompto steadied his breathing and gripped Noctis’ shoulders. “Keep going.”

Noctis pushed himself in deeper until he was completely inside of him. Noctis let out a moan at the feeling of his member being engulfed by the blonde’s inner walls. Prompto’s breathing picked up as the feeling of Noctis being inside him became too much. His nails dug into Noctis’ skin, but it didn’t seem like the prince minded at all.

“Move Noct.”

Taking a second to remember to breathe, Noctis’s grip tightened on Prompto’s hips as he gave an experimental thrust. Judging by the wonderful sound that left Prompto’s lips, it was safe to say that Noctis was doing something right. He continued to thrust into him, keeping a nice steady rhythm so as to not accidentally hurt the blonde.

Both males were panting, their hot breaths mingling as their faces were mere inches apart. Prompto buried a hand in Noctis’ dark hair while his other hand rested behind the raven’s neck.

“N- Noct … ahhhh … f- faster,” Prompto said.

“You … you sure?”

“Noct I swear if you don’t- ahhhhh!”

Prompto arched his back as Noctis increased the pace and thrusted up into him even harder, hitting a special spot. Despite all the noise that Prompto was making, the blonde could still hear the soft moans that came out of Noctis’ mouth. He couldn’t help but note the blissful euphoric look that the prince had as he continued to pound into him.

Prompto wrapped his legs around Noctis, trying to bring them impossibly closer than they already were. He pulled Noctis down into a heated open-mouthed kiss. Noctis grabbed Prompto’s leaking erection and pumped it in time with his thrusts. At this point, Prompto didn’t think he was going to last much longer, and neither did Noctis.

“N- Noct … I’m … haaaa … I’m gonna …”

“Me … ahhh … me too.”

Hearing those words, Prompto came with a scream of the raven’s name, his seed spilling over both their chests and Noctis’ fingers. After seeing Prompto come undone, with a few more thrusts, Noctis came shortly after, burying his face in Prompto’s neck, sucking and biting at it. Prompto felt warm as Noctis’ seed filled him. Noctis slowly came to a halt and lied on the blonde’s chest, not even caring about the mess they’d just made. They lied there in silence for a few minutes, catching their breaths. Prompto ran his fingers through Noctis’ hair in a caressing manner.

Eventually, because they literally could not be joined at the hip forever, Noctis pulled out. Prompto let out a small whine, already missing the feeling of the prince being inside him. Noctis found the whole ordeal quite adorable. He pulled Prompto in for a cuddle, their sticky chests pressing against each other.

****************************************************************************************************

Prompto looked down at their chests, realizing how much of a mess they had really made. “Aww man. I didn’t realize I came that much,” he said shyly.

“I’m flattered. All that for me? Didn’t think I could make you feel that good.”

“The sexiest man alive is feeling a bit self-conscious now?” Prompto teased.

Noctis groaned. “The magazine companies finally go back into business and the first thing they do is that.”

The blonde giggled, carding his fingers through the prince’s hair. “They’re right though.”

Noctis rolled his eyes and smiled. “Still think you should’ve been on the cover.”

“Me? Nah. I’m not royalty or famous.”

“But you are fucking sexy.”

Prompto laughed, burying his face in the raven’s shoulder. “How can you say that in such a serious tone?”

“Cause I’m being serious,” the raven replied with a shrug. He tightened his hold on Prompto, resting his chin on his hair. “When I’m king, I’ll just make a law that states you have to be the sexiest man alive every single year.”

Prompto’s body shook with laughter. “You can’t abuse your power to let the whole world know I’m sexy! Plus, Gladio would totally kill you for taking away his chance.”

“Hmm, you’re probably right. I’ll have to get rid of Gladio then.”

“Pfft, oh my gods Noct.” He wrapped his arms around the prince.

Noctis sighed in contentment and lowered himself just enough to snuggle against one of the blonde’s biceps. Prompto noticed this and found it amusing.

“Do you have a thing for arms?”

Noctis quickly looked up at him, a hint of red tinting his cheeks. “No,” he replied too quickly. He continued to snuggle against the blonde’s arm and mumbled, “Just your arms.”

Prompto squealed and squeezed Noctis. “Aww how cute! The Prince of Lucis loves my arms.”

“It’s true. I’ve been, like, dreaming of those bare arms holding me like this forever.”

“Well, unfortunately those bare arms are gonna have to let go of you for a while.” Prompto let go of Noctis and pushed away from him, getting up from bed.

“Nooo. Come baaack,” Noctis whined as he reached out to Prompto.

Prompto chuckled. “Relax dude. I’m just getting a towel to wipe ourselves off.” He went to the bathroom and not a moment later, came out with a damp towel. He lied next to Noctis and began to wipe him off.

“You think … we’ll always be together like this?” Prompto asked quietly.

Noctis was a bit surprised at the sudden question, but he answered truthfully. “No.”

“No?” Prompto looked at him, worry evident in his eyes.

Noctis nodded. “We can’t be boyfriends forever cause eventually we will be husbands. We’ll be together in a slightly different way.”

Prompto flushed and smacked the raven’s arms with the towel. Noctis just laughed.

“Noct, you asshole! You had me really worried there!”

Noctis grabbed the towel and threw it in the laundry hamper. He then wrapped his arms around Prompto, the blonde doing the same to him.

“Why the sudden serious question though?” Noctis asked.

Prompto sighed against the raven’s chest. “It’s just that, now that we’ve finally made love, I feel so … overwhelmed with all this emotion Noct. Like, I didn’t think I could love you even more, cause I love you so much, but I do. And it’s scary cause I worry that one day it won’t be like this anymore. I worry that somehow the freaking astrals or some other all-powerful entity will try to tear us apart from each other.”

Noctis held Prompto’s face in his hands. “Hey, that’s not going to happen. Nothing in this world, or any of the worlds, could keep us apart forever. We’ll always find each other Prom. I promise you.” He used one hand to grab Prompto’s left. “This ring is proof of that,” he said referring to the Ring of the Lucii that Prompto hadn’t taken off since Noctis had given it to him.

Prompto sighed and leaned into Noctis’ touch. “And I promise you the same.

The two shared a gentle but no less passionate kiss, one full of love and promise.

“My heart is yours, Prom,” Noctis whispered against the other’s lips.

“And mine, yours.”

_Cause you’re the last of a dying breed_

_Write our names in the wet concrete_

_I wonder if your therapist knows everything about me_

_I’m here in search of your glory_

_There’s been a million before me_

_That ultra-kind of love_

_You never walk away from_

_You’re just the last of the real ones_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @l-curasha-l


	3. And So It Begins . . .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> #sorrynotsorry

_“Why was it assured you would come here today? Because I followed my destined path, and I’m here looking at you right now.”_

Young Xehanort, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

When Prompto woke, it was to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. Then again, this is what he thought every morning.

He opened his eyes to see a sleeping Noctis in his arms, face partially buried in his chest. His dark hair was very messy (his didn’t look any better), his lips were slightly swollen from the blonde’s kisses, and he had a few light love marks on his chest (Prompto’s were much darker). On the raven’s shoulders and back, Prompto could see nail and scratch marks, courtesy of him of course.

Prompto smiled and gently carded his fingers through the prince’s hair. This feeling of bliss, of joy, is what he wanted to feel for the rest of his life. He wished that he could live this single moment forever.

“You deserve everything Noct,” Prompto whispered into the raven’s hair. “And I hope I can give everything to you.”

To Prompto’s horror, Noctis shifted in his hold and looked up at him, smiling. “But you are my everything, Prompto.” His voice was a little raspy from sleep.

Prompto felt his face heat up exponentially. “Sorry. Did I wake you?” he asked sheepishly.

Noctis shook his head. “No. I’ve been waiting for you to wake up.” He pulled himself up until he was face to face with the blonde. He placed a kiss on his lips. “Morning.”

“Mmm. Morning.”

Noctis kissed him again. “You smell like sex.”

“You don’t smell any better, Your Highness.”

Another kiss. “Oh, so the only time you’ll use my title is in bed?” Noctis asked with a smirk.

“Maybe …”

Another kiss and Noctis began to lean over the blonde. “You realize that if you do that, I’ll never be able to keep a straight face when hearing anyone else call me that, right?”

Prompto gave him a playful smile. “All the more reason for me to do it.”

Noctis shook his head and laughed. He began placing open-mouthed kisses on Prompto’s neck, sucking at some spots.

Prompto let out a soft moan. “Noct. What are you doing?”

“Just adding more to the collection,” Noctis answered, referring to the love marks. He then shifted his body so that he was hovering over the blonde. He rubbed his hips up against the other’s.

“Noct, if we keep this up … we’ll never get out of bed,” Prompto whined.

“Who said anything about getting out of bed?”

“As much as I wanna stay here with you, we gotta get up. Luna’s here, remember?”

Noctis groaned. “I completely forgot.”

Prompto snorted. “You’re actually complaining about Luna being here?”

“No, I’m not. I just really don’t wanna get up from bed. I like you in my bed. I like you naked in my bed even more.”

“Same here buddy. But we gotta shower, get dressed, and meet Luna and the others in the dining hall for breakfast. Unless you want Iggy to bust into the room and -”

“Okay, okay. I get it.” Noctis rolled off Prompto, allowing the other to sit up. He watched as the blonde stretched his arms over his head, unintentionally flexing a bit. “Ahh, there it is.”

Prompto turned to him with a sly smile. “Enjoying the show?”

“Very much.”

Noctis was so hypnotized by Prompto’s smile that he didn’t see the pillow that was heading toward his face. He fell back against the bed with an oof. He got up from bed to see Prompto already making his way to the bathroom.

“Can we at least shower together?”

Prompto narrowed his eyes, trying to be serious, but the corners of his lips twitched, threatening to upturn into a smile. “Fine. But no shower sex. We gotta be on time.”

“Of course,” Noctis said as he followed the blonde into the shower.

They ended up showing up to breakfast 15 minutes late, and it was all Noctis’ fault.

They had ended up doing more than just cleaning each other in the shower, and Prompto was now twice as sore as he had been when he woke up this morning.

“Do I dare ask what kept the two of you?” Ignis asked as he eyed Prompto who winced as he sat down.

Lunafreya giggled. “I think we already know.”

“About time,” Gladio said through a mouthful of food. “The sexual tension between you two was killing me.”

“Why the hell is everyone interested in my love life?” Noctis mumbled as he added a copious amount of sugar to his coffee.

Although embarrassed, Prompto chuckled. “Maybe cause you’re Lucis’ favorite celebrity.”

“I don’t even see why! We all played a part in getting rid of the Starscourge and restoring Lucis. Why do I have to get all the attention?”

“Because you are the prince,” Regis answered from the head of the table.

Noctis’ eyes widened at the sight of his father and mother. “How long have you two been there?”

“The whole time,” Aulea answered as she popped a piece of fruit in her mouth.

Noctis covered his face with his hands and let out a muffled scream. Prompto almost choked on his orange juice as he laughed at the raven’s reaction.

“Congratulations on taking your relationship to the next level,” Aulea said behind her glass.

“Mom,” Noctis whined.

“I am quite happy for the two of you. The act of making lo-”

“Luna, please.” Noctis interrupted the princess.

“Oh Noctis, you are such a child. I was just going to say that it is a beautiful act that only two people completely devoted to each other can share.”

“Aww, that’s actually a really sweet and formal way of describing sex,” Prompto teased.

Lunafreya rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “There is a difference between having sex and making love.”

Everyone, except for Regis and Aulea, stared at her, not quite understanding what she meant.

Lunafreya sighed. “Men are hopeless sometimes. I mean no offense to you, King Regis.”

Regis laughed heartedly. “Oh no, I agree Lunafreya. But perhaps you should explain to these boys what you mean. They do seem a bit … lost.”

Lunafreya took a sip of her juice. “Sex is, most of the time, a meaningless act that is done only to feel physical satisfaction. Making love however -”

“Is an act that two people who truly love each other take part in. They don’t just want to feel good on a physical level, but an emotional one as well. They want to be closer to their partner in every aspect,” Noctis finished as he took a sip of coffee. Everyone was staring at him now in surprise. “What?”

“So you aren’t as clueless on the subject of love as we initially thought,” Regis said.

“Okay, ouch.”

“You are quite oblivious to certain things, Noct,” Ignis commented.

The raven narrowed his eyes at the adviser. “You know what Iggy. You can just -”

The freckled blonde quickly covered the prince’s mouth with a hand. “What he means to say is that he totally appreciates your commentary and will not curse at the table.” He ended his statement by giving Noctis a knowing look. Noctis only licked the blonde’s hand, but that didn’t deter Prompto.

“Dude, after what we did last night, you licking my hand can’t bother me.”

Noctis’ face turned beet red and he lied his head against the table, not saying anything.

“And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you get the Prince of Lucis to shut up.”

“That actually might come in handy,” snickered Gladio.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind,” Ignis said.

Regis chuckled. “Now then, I suggest we continue eating our breakfast before Noctis burns a hole through the dining table.”

* * *

“What peculiar flowers.”

Lunafreya gently touched the petals of a golden flower in the gardens. They were as soft as feathers, and yet they glimmered as if they were made of actual gold.

“Courtesy of the prince.”

Lunafreya turned at the sound of the voice and relaxed when she saw the woman. She wore a long-sleeved light blue dress. Her usually blue toned skin was a pale, almost white color. Her eyes were a greenish gray color and her blue hair was cascading down her back in waves.

“But you knew this already,” Shiva said.

“Yes, I did. I suspected for a while.” Her smile faltered. “His power grows more and more, and yet he does not know how powerful he truly is. And I cannot tell him, for to tell him would compromise the future.”

“He shall know, in time.”

“Yes, but will that be the right time?”

Shiva didn’t say anything.

Lunafreya sighed. “I can only hope that he will find out soon.”

“We must let everything play out naturally, Lunafreya. If we interfere, we may destroy any future that is awaiting.”

“I understand.” She clenched her fists in frustration. “I just want the best for him. He already played his part in the prophecy as the King of Light and now he has to take part in another war.”

“Trust me Lunafreya, if I could see more into the future, I would provide more aid. The universe only grants us astrals so much power. There are things that we are not meant to see or do.”

A laugh startled Lunafreya and she turned around to see Noctis running into the garden only to be tackled to the ground by Prompto. Noctis sat up, Prompto still on his lap, and kissed him. He pulled away and smiled at the blonde, running his thumb over the freckles on his cheek.

Lunafreya smiled at the scene before her. “I have faith in the prince. He has love on his side after all.”

Lunafreya walked up to the couple and knelt at their side.

“Are you two quite alright?” she asked with amusement in her tone.

“Yeah, we’re al- wait, did you see all that?” Prompto said.

Lunafreya giggled. “Yes, yes I did.”

Prompto leaned his head on Noctis’ shoulder. “We’re pretty bad with PDA, aren’t we Noct?”

“I don’t know Prom. No reporters or paparazzi have managed to figure out you’re my boyfriend yet, so I think we’re doing better than most.”

“Don’t be embarrassed Prompto. You two are quite adorable. You are … what is that phrase … relationship goals?”

Noctis and Prompto looked at each other, then back at the blonde female.

“Luna? Have you been looking at memes online?” asked Prompto.

“I knew using a cellphone would be a bad influence on her,” Noctis said, not meaning his words.

“Oh please. As if it had affected you any better. And for your information, Nyx sends me most of the memes.”

The two men burst out laughing, clutching their stomachs.

“Nyx is a meme lord?!” Prompto exclaimed.

“Didn’t think the guy would be into that kinda stuff,” Noctis said as he wiped a tear from his eye.

“Speaking of Nyx, how are things with the two of you?”

“Yeah. Do I have to kick his ass?” Noctis asked sarcastically.

“Oh no, everything is wonderful. Nyx is ever the sweetheart and gentleman.” She then looked pointedly at Noctis. “And dear Noctis, I am sorry, but you could not ‘kick his ass.”

The raven looked baffled. “What the- yeah I can!”

Prompto tried to cover up a laugh. “Dude, I’m sorry but Nyx would totally own you in a fight.”

The prince crossed his arms, giving off a slight pout. “So not only is my childhood friend betraying me, but so is my boyfriend.”

“The foundation of any good relationship is honesty Noct, and I’m just being honest,” he said as he rested his cheek on the prince’s shoulder.

A sly smile suddenly spread on Noctis’ face. “I just got a great idea.”

Prompto and Lunafreya looked at each other and frowned. They turned to Noctis and at the same time said, “No.”

“Too late,” Noctis said as he pulled out his phone and typed something quickly, all the while avoiding Prompto’s attempts at taking his phone away.

“Noct, what did you do?” Prompto asked with wide eyes.

“Noctis Lucis Caelum, if you do not tell me what you are up to so help me I will -”

Lunafreya was cut off by the chiming sound that went off from Noctis’ phone. He looked down at the screen and raised his brows in surprise. “Well that was fast. And he actually said yes.” Noctis stood up and looked down at the two blondes. “I suggest you two get ready. We’re going on a double date.”

An hour and a half later, the two couples were walking down the streets of Insomnia. Fortunately, Noctis managed to convince Gladio that he didn’t need him to come along for protection since they had Nyx. Nyx had gone along with the prince’s explanation.

Noctis had told everyone to wear comfortable casual clothing and he told Luna to not wear any skirts or dresses. She immediately saw why when they stepped into a colorful looking building.

“Oh hell yes,” she heard Nyx say.

All around them was an obstacle course, one made for children and adults alike. There was even a rock-climbing wall, a ball pit, and a giant trampoline.

“Oh, this is gonna go so bad so fast,” Prompto said as he eyed the course.

At first, everyone had tried out different parts of the course together. Lunafreya especially liked the ball pit because it made her feel like a child. There were even some friendly competitions. Prompto had won at rope climbing, because with those arms why wouldn’t he? Noctis hadn’t really tried, opting for staring at the blonde with a dreamy look in his eyes. They had all tried rock climbing but Noctis had grabbed Lunafreya and warped them to the top.

“That’s cheating!” Prompto had said.

“All is fair in love and war,” Noctis had said.

“Fuck you!”

“You already did.”

Prompto turned to Nyx. “Dude, he stole your girlfriend.”

“Well, fuck.” Nyx looked at the freckled blonde. “Guess I’ma have to steal his guy then.”

“Ya hear that Noct? Nyx is gonna steal me away!”

Noctis chuckled. “I don’t think you’re his type. You’re too … male.”

“Nah, he’ll do. He’s the closest replacement to Luna. They’re both blonde and radiate enough sunshine to blind half the universe.”

“Ha! … wait, I feel like I should be offended too …” Prompto narrowed his eyes for a moment as he let himself sink down to the ground. Nyx did the same and they both undid the belts and latches holding them to the wall. Prompto then had jumped on Nyx’s back, the man grabbing onto his legs, and ordered, “Hurry my new lover! To the trampoline!”

Nyx had run off to the trampoline while Noctis called after them. He eventually warped down with Lunafreya and chased the two.

All in all, they had fun. Lunafreya had enjoyed every bit of their double date.

So now that she was lying in Nyx’s arms in bed, she couldn’t help but give a bittersweet smile at the memory of today, for she knew that this happiness, this sense of ease and calm would not last for much longer. She knew that something was coming, and it was coming soon.

“I know that look. That’s your thinking look. You’re thinking,” Nyx said as he poked her nose.

The woman rolled her eyes in jest. “I’m always thinking.”

“Yeah, but it looks like you’re thinking about something serious.”

Lunafreya sighed and snuggled against Nyx’s chest. She silently thanked the astrals that she finally got him to go to bed shirtless. “The astrals have been speaking to me again. Well, more like _an_ astral.”

“Really?” He carded his fingers gently through her loose hair. “You probably can’t tell me, but I’ll still ask. Why has this astral been communicating with you?”

“… something is coming, and it’s coming soon.”

“Another whole crappy prophecy that’s gonna do more good than bad?”

The blonde woman almost chuckled at Nyx’s bluntness. “Something like that I suppose.” She looked up at him, a bit of sadness in her eyes. “I wish I could tell you, I really do, but …”

Nyx kissed her forehead and tightened his hold on her. “Hey, you don’t need to explain to me. I get it. You’re the Oracle and there’s certain rules that you have to follow and whatnot.”

“So, it doesn’t bother you that I can’t tell you these things?”

“Hmm. I wouldn’t say bother is the right word to describe what I feel. More like … I get worried about you.”

She gave him a small smile and kissed him. “There is no need to worry over me. After all, I have you by my side.”

“I’ll always worry about you, Princess, because I love you.”

“And I love you.”

Lunafreya slept peacefully that night. Her troubles were eased just by the comfort of the one she loved dearly. He had unintentionally reminded her how powerful love really was. As long as they all had love in their hearts, guiding them, they would be fine.

She had to believe that.

* * *

It wasn’t until a couple of days later that the relative calm that surrounded everyone was broken.

Cindy had called saying that some strange creatures had been coming out of a cave near Hammerfell. Noctis decided that he would check out the situation himself. And if Noctis was going, then that meant so were Gladio, Ignis, and Prompto.

“You think it’s the Heartless?” Gladio had asked the prince during the drive there.

Noctis only responded with, “I hope to the gods it isn’t.”

The rest of the drive was in silence, each man left to his own thoughts. However, the only thing they could think about was the return of the Heartless. If that happened, then they wouldn’t know what to do. After all, it was thanks to Sora that they had rid of the creatures the first time.

Once they reached the cave, Noctis turned to Prompto and Gladio. “You two stay out here and keep an eye out for anything unusual. If anything daemonic or Heartless looking comes out of that cave, you kill it.” The two nodded at their prince. “Ignis, you’re with me.”

As Noctis and Ignis were about to turn toward the cave, Prompto called out, “Wait!”

The raven turned only to have his lips captured in a kiss by the blonde. Noctis was used to this by now. Any time they had a dangerous mission, the two would share a kiss before going into combat. Depending on the situation, sometimes Noctis would be the one calling Prompto and pulling him in for a kiss. Today, however, was different.

The way Prompto kissed him felt extremely emotional, as if this would be their very last time together. He returned the kiss with as much fervor, suddenly hit with the overwhelming feeling of wanting to never let the blonde go.

Once they pulled away, they leaned their foreheads against each other’s, looking deeply into the other’s eyes. “Be careful, okay?” Prompto said.

Noctis smirked. “You doubt me?”

Prompto raised a brow. “You really want me to answer that?”

Noctis chuckled. “Alright, alright.”

“Do not worry about me Prompto. I’ll be fine,” Ignis said.

“Oh, I’m sorry Iggy. Did you want a kiss too?” The blonde took a step toward the adviser.

“No!” Ignis sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Let us go, Noct.”

And so they stepped foot inside the cave, turning on their lights. Nothing looked out of the ordinary so far. To Noctis, it looked like, well, a cave.

“Kinda weird that there’s no daemons in here, huh?” Noctis said.

“Indeed. It is still difficult to get used to the fact that the Starscourge is no more.”

They went on like that, walking and making conversation until they reached the end of the cave.

“Dead end.” Noctis put his fingers to the wall of the cave.

“And we found nothing.”

“Not even a sign of anything being here.” Noctis took a sidestep only for his foot to land in a puddle. “Weird. There’s water here, but how?”

“The cave would have shown signs of water before we reached the end. It is quite unusual.”

Noctis looked down at the puddle, taking his foot out of the water. “I don’t get it. Why would Cindy call us if there’s nothing here?”

“That’s because she didn’t call you,” a voice suddenly said.

Ignis and Noctis suddenly stood on their guard and looked around the cave. After a few seconds, Noctis saw a dark portal, just like the ones Roxas had summoned, open behind Ignis.

“Ignis!” he called out.

But it was too late, for a black hooded figure stepped out and knocked aside the adviser, causing him to slam against one of the cave’s walls. He lied on the floor, groaning but not quite unconscious.

Noctis growled and summoned his blade. “Who the hell are you?”

The man didn’t move, just stared at him, or at least Noctis assumed that’s what he was doing since he couldn’t see his face.

“A distraction.”

Albeit beyond pissed, Noctis furrowed his brows in confusion. “What?”

No sooner had those words left his lips that the prince felt something hit the back of his head and darkness consumed his vision. The last thing he heard was Ignis calling out his name.

* * *

“I spy with my little eye something … brown.”

“Prompto I swear if it’s another tree I’ll -”

“But it’s not. Promise.”

Gladio huffed. “Fine. Is it dirt?”

“Wow. Do you have no imagination? No sense of fun?”

“There’s only like, five different types of things around us Prompto.”

“Well it’s not dirt.”

“Is it my hair?”

“No. But you are getting close.”

Gladio sighed. “Is it my eyes?”

“Bingo!”

The shield rolled his eyes and snorted. “That’s pretty gay.”

“Dude, I’m bi so you’re not that far off.”

“Right. Anyway, I spy …”

“Iggy?”

“No, not Iggy. He’s in the freaking cave anyway.”

Prompto shook his head. “No, I mean, Iggy is coming out of the cave.”

The two walked up to Ignis and upon closer inspection saw that he had blood on the corner of his head.

“Iggy! You okay? What happened?” Prompto asked as he summoned a potion and broke it over the other man.

“Prom, help me sit him down against the tree,” Gladio said as he put one of Ignis’ arms across his shoulder.

“Right.” Prompto mimicked his movements.

Once Ignis was sitting down, he blinked rapidly, as if trying to regain his focus. “Prompto? Gladio?” His eyes lit up with alarm. “Where’s Noctis? Noctis!” He called out, looking around as he attempted to get up, only to be pushed down by Gladio.

“Calm down Iggy. You’re in no state to be standing up so fast right now. Just tell us what happened in the cave.”

Prompto could tell that Gladio was trying his hardest to remain calm and not go rushing into the cave himself. Hell, Prompto was tempted to do that himself, but he knew that would be reckless and cause more unnecessary damage.

“The cave … it was all a trap. They wanted to get Noct in there,” Ignis said as he touched his fingers to his head.

“Who’s they, Iggy?” asked Gladio.

“The men in the black coats. I couldn’t see their faces, for they were covered with hoods. There were two of them. One had appeared behind me and knocked me into a wall. The other appeared behind Noctis and …”

This time, it was Prompto that spoke with a shaky voice. “And what?”

“And took him. They took him.”

* * *

“I’m soooooo bored.”

“That’s the 27th time you’ve said that in the last hour.”

“Whoah. You’ve been keeping track?”

“Of course I have.”

“Why?”

“Because, believe it or not, I am bored too.”

A laugh. “But I thought you liked sciency stuff.”

“I do when it’s not for -”

That’s when Noctis finally was able to slowly open his eyes. By the sound of the voices, there were only two people with him.

“Oooo, he’s waking up!”

Footsteps. He heard footsteps approaching him quickly. Then, a face came into view. Although his vision was blurry, he could still see that the face looked familiar.

He said the name that came to mind.

“Ignis?”

* * *

Worlds away, a boy put a hand to his chest, almost clutching it, feeling a sharp jolt, a painful one that brought him to tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @l-curasha-l


	4. New Realities

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved writing the first half of this chapter so much. The interaction between these characters was so fun and I can't wait to delve further into their relationship! Hope you guys see the same fun and potential as I do!
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy the chapter and Happy Holidays!

_"A clue, I hope, to finding yourselves or your lost friends in your hour of need. The heart has always been quick to grow. Each exposure to light, to the natural world, to other people, shapes this most malleable part inside of us. Nobodies are not different from us in that manner."_

\- Ansem the Wise, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

“Ignis? Who’s Ignis? Hey, you know of any Ignises?”

Noctis saw the person looming above him turn their head when asking the question. No sooner did another person come into his blurry vision.

“He’s probably mistaking you for someone he knows,” the other voice said.

Noctis felt himself slowly being pulled up into a sitting position. He noticed that his vision began to clear up as he remained sitting down on the cold floor. He then felt fingers grabbing his face and turning his head.

“The damage doesn’t look too bad, just a bit of swelling. What’s your name?”

Usually, Noctis wouldn’t answer to strangers, especially after being knocked out, but this voice sounded soft, smooth, and calm, like it belonged to someone that wouldn’t hurt him.

“Noctis. Noctis Lucis Caelum.”

Noctis blinked and was finally able to see clearly. The person that was examining his head was a male, maybe a little younger or around the same age as him. He had cerulean eyes that were a bit lighter than Sora’s, slate blue hair with long bangs covering the right side of his face, and he was wearing what seemed to be a white lab coat of sorts.

“Okay, Noctis. Can you tell me what world you came from?”

“Eos. Well, more specifically, Lucis.”

The other nodded. “Alright.” He looked up to the side of him, speaking to someone else. “Is there anything else you know about him that I could ask?”

Noctis turned his head slightly to look at this other person. He tried to look up but hissed when the light hit his eyes. He was only able to see a black coat.

“Hmm, oh! Ask him where the cave was.”

The slate haired male turned back to Noctis and asked, “That cave you were in, where was it located?”

“In Hammerfell,” Noctis said as he felt a slight sting in his head, causing him to wince.

The other male gave a small smile and a sigh of relief. “He’s fine.” He stood up. “Demyx, help me get him to stand.”

“Can do,” the other voice, or Demyx, said rather cheerily.

When he was finally standing, the two let go of his arms only for the raven to start falling.

“Whoah, whoah!” Noctis heard Demyx say as he felt himself being caught by him. “Easy there. Guess I did hit him a bit too hard, huh?” He sounded rather sheepish.

“You could have used a little less force.” The slate haired male came into view, holding something. “I’m just going to use a potion on you. It should get rid of the pain and dizziness.” Noctis felt the healing properties of the potion work its magic as soon as it was crushed over him. He was finally able to stand up on his own.

“Thanks, uhh …”

“Ienzo,” the male said.

Noctis gave a nod. “Thanks, Ienzo.”

“And … Demyx was it? Thank -” The prince was stunned into silence as he turned and saw Demyx. He was the one wearing the black coat and had dirty blonde hair that was done in a mohawk mullet style. What caused him to stop talking, however, were his eyes. They were a piercing yellow, and Noctis remembered from Sora that yellow eyes were not a good sign.

Noctis quickly backed away from Demyx into a nearby shelf, knocking down a few things. His eyes widened and he attempted to summon a weapon, only for nothing to happen. He looked down at his hand in confusion.

“It’s not working.”

“Makes sense,” Ienzo said. “Your powers wouldn’t work in a fake world. You need to be in a real one. The only reason Demyx here can use his powers is because this world was created to allow his powers to work here.”

“Fake world?”

Ienzo nodded. “Organization 13 created this world out of data for the sole purpose of keeping you and me here.”

Noctis vaguely remembered Sora mentioning Organization 13. He knew they were bad. He knew they wore black coats, just like …

“Dude, maybe we got off on the wrong -”

“Stay the hell away from me!” Noctis interrupted Demyx. “I know what that coat means! Hell, I even know what those eyes mean!”

“Really! It’s not what it looks like! I’m on your guys’ side! Honest!”

Noctis turned to look at Ienzo who merely nodded. “Demyx has been helping me in trying to find a way out of here. We’ve also been trying to find a way to communicate with the real worlds so we could talk to Sora.”

“Sora? You know Sora?”

“Yes. And you do?”

Noctis nodded. “He was stuck on Eos with my friends and I for a good while.”

Demyx chuckled. “At the end, it always leads to Sora, doesn’t it?”

Noctis narrowed his eyes at the blonde. “So if you’re on our side, why are you with Organization 13? Not to mention the freakish yellow eyes.”

Demyx sighed. “Look, when Sora defeated me as a Nobody and I basically ‘died’, I was supposed to come back as a regular person with a regular heart, just like Zexy here.”

“Demyx, I’ve told you to call me Ienzo.”

“Whoops, sorry. Habit I guess.” Demyx rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Anyway, I guess Xehanort wanted to use me for his big plan or whatever, so he brought me back, but not as a regular human. I still wield my powers that I had as a Nobody.” He looked down to the floor. “When he brought me back, my eyes weren’t yellow. I was grateful that I was brought back, until I had to take Ienzo and I realized that I could have come back on my own, as a person with a normal heart. Over time, Xemnas had me do dark things which eventually darkened my heart even more and gave me the yellow eyes.” He looked up at the slate haired male and smiled. “If it wasn’t for Ienzo here convincing me to fight for my own path, I probably would have become one of Xehanort’s perfect vessels by now.”

Noctis crossed his arms. “So you’re our inside man?”

Demyx chuckled. “Guess I am.”

“But you can create those dark portal things, right? Why can’t you just take Ienzo through one of those?”

“Whenever I use my powers in this fake world, Xemnas is notified of it. If he sees that I’m using my power without him telling me to go somewhere or do something, he’s gonna be suspicious for sure. We’d get caught in no time.”

“Well that’s extremely inconvenient. Do you think he suspects anything yet?”

Demyx shook his head. “Nah I don’t think so. He probably believes that I’m too scared or stupid to betray him.”

Ienzo huffed. “Which we have already discussed that you absolutely are not.”

The blonde waved him off. “Yeah, yeah.”

Noctis smiled at the interaction. “You two seem like really good friends.”

“Uh, friends?”

“Yeah. Aren’t you two friends or am I reading this whole thing wrong?”

Ienzo looked pensive. “Well, I’d say we’re … colleagues of sorts but I don’t mind the title of friend, that is if you’re alright with it.” He looked up at Demyx.

The melodious nocturne gave a small smile and nodded. “Sure.” He looked at the raven. “Look at you bringing people closer together, and you’ve only been here for like a few minutes, conscious that is.”

“Yes. A very Sora-like thing to do,” Ienzo pointed out.

“Heh. Maybe he did rub off on me,” the prince said.

“I’d be surprised if he didn’t.”

Noctis had never been so entertained by science.

There was something about the utter look of concentration on Ienzo’s face, the gleam in his eyes as a concoction produced pleasant results, the tiny hint of a smile as he scribbled down notes, that was nice to watch.

And it wasn’t that Noctis was admiring him, no. Sure, Ienzo was a nice face to look at, but the prince only had eyes for a certain freckled blonde back home. What made Noctis just watch the other was that Ienzo did everything with such care and passion. It was fascinating to watch someone that was in love with what they did.

“So how long have you been here?” Noctis asked as he watched Ienzo pour a dark blue liquid into a beaker filled with a clear liquid, turning it a light blue color.

“Hmm. I’d say it’s been about four months, two weeks, and five days,” the slate-haired male answered.

“You’ve been here for four months?!”

“And two weeks and five days.”

“So … you’re saying that … that I might be here for four months?”

“Or longer.” Ienzo shrugged like if it wasn’t a big deal.

The prince’s eyes widened and he gripped the edge of the table. “Oh gods. I think I’m gonna be sick.”

“Oh no. No one’s getting sick here. You want some tea dude?” Demyx asked, concern in his tone.

“Demyx has a way with soothing nearly any ailment or illness one may have. Plus, his teas are really good.” Ienzo said, eyes never leaving his work.

Demyx patted Noctis’ shoulder. “Don’t worry dude. I got you. Why don’t you sit outside in the gardens? The fresh air will do you good. I’ll bring you the tea in a bit.”

Noctis nodded, slowly getting up. “R-right. Thanks.”

After navigating through countless corridors, Noctis found himself sitting on the edge of a fountain, taking in the view of the various flowerbeds that decorated the gardens. It wasn’t long until Demyx came with a mug in hand. He took a seat beside the prince and handed the steaming mug to him. Noctis took it with thanks and held the mug in his hands, letting the warmth seep into his skin.

A few seconds of silence went by until Demyx spoke. “Sorry about that. Zexy can be a little blunt sometimes.” Demyx sighed then facepalmed. “Ienzo. I meant Ienzo.”

Noctis tilted his head. “You call him that a lot. The first time I heard you say that, I thought you had called him sexy.”

Demyx chuckled. “Now _that_ brings back memories from our old Organization days.”

“You actually called him sexy,” Noctis said as he took a sip of tea. It wasn’t as sweet as he would’ve liked it, but that was probably for the best right now. It was surprisingly still good though.

“I liked to give everyone nicknames back then. Ienzo’s just happened to be Sexy Zexy. It usually got me a book to the face, but it was all worth it to see him break out of his emo façade.”

“Emo? He sure doesn’t seem like it now.”

“Being without a heart changes you, well, it changed Ienzo at least. He didn’t care about anyone or anything. Only thing he wanted was to carry out his orders so that he could get his own heart.”

“And you?”

Demyx pursed his lips in thought. “I don’t think I’ve changed much. I guess cause I liked to believe that we did have hearts back then. I mean, I wasn’t completely wrong. We were on our way to fully regaining them, but Xemnas never told us that, or as I like to call him, Mansex.”

Noctis laughed, almost choking on his tea. “Oh my gods, his name actually spells that!”

The blonde smiled. “Yep. Sucks for him.”

“So, you guys had different names then? I’m just assuming cause you keep calling Ienzo by Zexy.”

“Yeah, although it was an altered version of our true names. When you join the Organization, you’re all bound together by the ‘X’ added to your name. Ienzo became Zexion when he joined.”

“Ohh, Roxas’ name makes sense now …”

“You know Roxas too? Man oh man. Those kids are everywhere.”

“Yeah, I guess they are.” He took another sip. “So what about you? What’s your true name?”

“I … I don’t know. I can’t remember.” Demyx shrugged.

Noctis frowned at seeing the other’s smile falter. He nudged his arm with his elbow. “Well, Demyx is a pretty cool name. So it’s not so bad.”

Demyx chuckled. “Guess you’re right. So, are you feeling any better?”

Noctis paused, realizing that he did indeed feel better. He wasn’t feeling as anxious or sick anymore. “Actually, I am.”

“Yes! The treatment was a success!”

Noctis raised a brow. “Treatment? Wait. When Ienzo was talking about you being good with illnesses, he wasn’t talking about the tea, was he?”

“The tea does help, but there’s nothing like the power of comfort and distraction.”

Noctis smiled. He was reminded of a certain blonde back home who would go out of his way to help a friend in need. “Thanks, Demyx.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s the least I can do after knocking you out and kidnapping you.” He scratched his head in embarrassment.

Noctis shook his head. “Could be worse I guess. I’m just glad I ended up with you and Ienzo rather than Xemnas or Xehanort.”

“True that.”

* * *

“Gone?!”

Prompto couldn’t even bother to flinch at the king’s booming voice. He was too lost in his own thoughts about Noctis.

“Your Majesty, I will take full responsibility for -”

“No, he won’t,” Gladio interrupted Ignis. “We were all there to protect Noct and we failed. We all share the blame.”

“Nonsense,” Aulea said with a slight tremor to her voice. “The blame does not lie with either of you. My son’s unfortunate disappearance happened due to unforeseen circumstances. No one could have known what was going to happen. Isn’t that right, Regis?”

Regis ran a hand down his tired face and sighed. He took a breath before answering. “Yes, yes I suppose you are right. I apologize for my outburst.”

“No need to apologize Your Majesty. It is an understandable reaction,” the adviser said.

“And you say that these people who took Noctis were wearing black coats?” Lunafreya asked.

“Yes. Their faces were obscured by their hoods, but they were able to summon dark corridors just like Roxas,” Ignis answered.

“Could it have been possible that Roxas was one of the kidnappers?” Nyx asked.

Ignis shook his head. “They were both tall in stature compared to Roxas. It couldn’t have been him.”

“It’s been a year though. He could have grown …”

“I sincerely doubt that he would have grown that much in such a short time. Also, I believe that Roxas would never do something so vile to one of his friends.”

Lunafreya nodded. “He is of Sora’s heart. He is good, just like him.”

Prompto continued thinking to himself as the conversation continued around him. His thoughts swirled around until they finally came to a stop and presented him with a clue about Noctis’ captors. He was broken out of his trance by a voice calling out to him.

“Prompto dear, are you quite alright?”

The blonde looked up at the queen with red puffy eyes that had shed far too many tears already. “Honestly, no. My boyfriend, your son and the Prince of Lucis, just got kidnapped and I couldn’t do a thing about it.” His fist clenched at his side. “But I think I may have an idea of who took him.”

Regis gripped the edges of his throne in anticipation. “Do tell, Prompto.”

He met the king’s eyes unwaveringly and with confidence. “I remember Roxas telling us that he used to be part of a group called Organization 13. They reside in darkness and wear black hooded coats. If the two that kidnapped Noctis had the same power as Roxas, then they might be from Organization 13.”

Gladio’s eyes widened. “So you’re saying that-”

“Noctis is probably in another world.”

The queen choked on a sob while Lunafreya covered her mouth as she let out a gasp. Nyx wrapped an arm around the princess, whispering what he hoped were words of comfort. Throughout all this, Regis glared at an unknown point past everyone. Prompto assumed he was either shocked or lost in thought.

“And is there no way of rescuing my son?” Regis finally asked.

“We have no way of travelling to other worlds, so … no,” Gladio said with deep regret.

Regis’ grip on the throne tightened. He stood up with renowned purpose. “Lady Lunafreya, I need you to commune with the gods. See if any of them could provide assistance.”

Lunafreya held a hand to her chest and bowed her head. “I will certainly try, Your Majesty. Although, I cannot guarantee that they will respond.”

Regis nodded to her. He then focused his attention on his shield who stood on the other side of his throne. “Claurus! Fetch Cor and meet me by the car.”

“If I may ask, where are we heading to, Your Highness?” Claurus asked.

“To the last place my son was seen.”

The room was instantly filled with rebuttals from nearly everyone. Prompto was about to tell Regis why it wasn’t such a good idea to go back to the spot where the Crown Prince was kidnapped when he felt a sudden tingle in his chest.

He gasped and touched his fingers to his chest over his heart. The feeling started out small at first, but quickly escalated into one of warmth. His breathing picked up, not out of fear or worry, but of … happiness? Excitement? What he knew for certain was that adrenaline was coursing through him, urging him to move his feet.

Which is what he did.

He sprinted out of the room, nearly crashing into the doors. He ignored the calls of everyone else and made his way to the front gates. His eyes frantically moved on their own accord, searching for something, or rather someone.

And then he saw what he was looking for.

His heart lurched at the sight before him. His eyes widened with unshed tears. He wanted to run forward so badly, but he had to control himself. He was an adult damn it.

Standing before him was a boy with brown spiky hair and cerulean eyes. He was taller than when he last saw him and his face had matured just a bit. He was now a young man of 16 but he still had that childish innocence in his eyes – eyes that held unshed tears as well.

“Sora?” Prompto almost whispered in disbelief.

Sora let out a laugh. “Prom!”

_Fuck being an adult._

Prompto ran to the teen and Sora met him halfway. The two hugged, smiling and laughing the whole time. Prompto noticed that his heart felt a bit more at ease, as if a missing piece had been returned to it. After what felt like a lifetime, Prompto pulled back, hands clasping Sora’s shoulders.

“Dude, you’re getting taller!” Prompto said as he noticed that the teen now reached his shoulders.

Sora let out a chuckle. “And you look more grown up.”

Prompto narrowed his eyes but kept his smile. “You’re saying I look old?”

“Mature.”

“Uh huh …”

“Prompto what is -” Ignis’ voice cut off as the two turned around to face him and the others. They seemed to have expressions that were a mixture of shock and surprise.

“Sora?” Gladio took a few tentative steps toward the two, Ignis following behind him.

Sora looked up at the two, eyes bright. “Gladio! Ignis!” The boy ran up to the two of them and brought them into a hug. The two Crownsguard laughed and returned the hug back.

“What are you doing here, kid? Not that we’re not happy to see you and all,” Gladio said as soon as they pulled away.

“Well,” Sora then noticed that there were other people besides the four of them. “Oh, hey everyone!”

Lunafreya, Aulea, Regis, Nyx, and Claurus greeted the boy with a mixture of waves, nods, and kind smiles.

“So, to answer your question, the main reason I’m here is cause I felt this lurch in my chest. It felt like a strong pain in my heart, but not cause of a physical illness or anything like that. It was more of an emotional pain that caused my heart to act like that. I suddenly felt sadness and despair hit me and at first, I didn’t understand why because I had no reason to feel like that. Then I realized that it wasn’t me that was feeling those painful emotions, but Prompto.”

The blonde’s eyes widened in surprise. “You felt the connection even though you were in a different world?”

Sora nodded, grimly. “Your emotions were so strong that they just kinda hit me I guess. I knew that something was terribly wrong if I was able to feel you from that great of a distance, so that’s why I’m here … well mostly.”

“Mostly?” Nyx asked, raising a brow in question.

Sora put his hands in his pockets and leaned back. “So, as you guys know, me and the others are trying to stop Xehanort from carrying out whatever plan he has. When I went to see Yen Sid, a really powerful and wise sorcerer, he told me that Xehanort was remaking Organization 13 and that they were searching for the new seven Princesses of Heart.” He looked up at Lunafreya. “It seems like they’re out to take the princesses from their homes. I’m not sure what Xehanort wants them for, but I decided that I have to find all of them and bring them back to the safest place I could think of.”

“And as one of the Princesses of Heart, you want me to go with you,” Lunafreya stated.

Sora frowned a bit in worry. “I won’t make you, Luna. But I think you would be much safer where I’ll take you. Organization 13, they’ve got darkness that you all have never faced before.”

Lunafreya nodded. “I shall go with you then.”

Nyx gently took Lunafreya’s hand. “Luna …”

“Nyx. If I stay here, I am not just putting myself in danger, but all of you as well. Please, do not fear, for I will be just fine.” She smiled at him and cupped his cheek.

Nyx closed his eyes and sighed, placing his hand over hers. “Okay, I trust you.”

“I wish you could come with her Nyx, but …”

“I know. It’s for the best that I don’t.”

“And I’m sorry I can’t tell you all where I’ll be taking her, but you have to understand that if they do come looking for her here, and they try to make you tell them …”

Regis nodded. “Of course, my boy. We understand.”

Sora grinned. “Phew! Alright, now that that’s cleared, Prom, what’s wrong?”

The smile that was on Prompto’s face fell at the question. “It’s … it’s Noct.”

“Oh yeah. I knew someone was missing. Where is he?” The teen looked around, hoping to see the prince.

“He’s gone Sora. He -” Prompto choked on a sob and covered his mouth to stifle it.

Sora looked at everyone and saw that they had forlorn expressions. It seemed like they couldn’t even speak up to Sora. The only one that was able to do it was Claurus.

“The prince was kidnapped a few hours ago in a cave near Hammerhead. From what Ignis told us, it seems that it was Organization 13’s doing.”

Sora blinked at the man. “You- you’re kidding, right? What the hell do they want with him?!”

Everyone was taken aback by the boy’s outburst.

“Why?! Why do the people I care about always manage to get hurt because of me? Why?” he finished quietly as he clenched his fists in frustration.

Aulea held the brunette’s face in her hands, her mouth set in a thin line. “None of what happened to Noctis is your fault, make sure of that Sora. It seems that these Organizers would have taken Noctis, regardless of you meeting him or not.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because if they really wanted to lure you in, Sora, they would have taken Prompto instead.”

“Say what now?” Prompto asked, his voice a bit raspy.

“You two have a strong connection, do you not?”

Sora nodded. “Well, yeah.”

“So, if they really wanted to get to you, Sora, they would have taken Prompto so you could follow that connection back to them. However, they took Noctis.”

“That’s crazy though. They couldn’t possibly know that Sora’s heart and mine are connected … right?” Prompto asked, looking at Sora.

“Actually, considering that those douchebags have ways of knowing everything about everyone, I wouldn’t doubt that they know about that.”

“… did you just say douchebags?” Gladio asked.

Sora was about to respond when another voice interrupted him.

“Yes he did! And he should stop abusing these new words.”

Sora turned to the voice. “They’re not new! I’ve known them for almost a whole year!”

Everyone turned to see that the voice belonged to none other than Riku and next to him was Roxas.

“Oh the wonders of the internet,” Roxas said.

Riku was much taller than the last time everyone saw him, as was Roxas who was the same height as Sora. Roxas was now wearing casual clothing unlike the black robes he had worn. Riku had much shorter hair that was styled in a very similar way to that of Noctis’. As a matter of fact, even his attire seemed to resemble that of the prince.

That only got Prompto to burst out crying and walk up to Riku, who he pulled into a hug.

“Umm, what’s going on?” the teen asked, a bit uncomfortable.

“Just humor him,” Sora said.

“I still don’t understand?” Riku’s hands stayed at his sides.

“Holy crap. You look just like Noct,” Gladio said.

Roxas snorted. “Oh my gosh! He’s right!”

“I do not!”

Regis chuckled. “I’m sorry my boy, but you do hold a striking resemblance toward my son.”

Riku groaned and there was brief laughter all around, despite the heartbreaking news regarding Noctis. “So Sora, are we ready to go?” the silvernette asked as he finally managed to pry Prompto away from him.

Sora looked at Lunafreya who gave him a nod in confirmation. “Yeah.”

“Leaving so soon?” asked Ignis.

“I wish we could stay longer, but we have other Princesses of Heart to find and thirteen guys in black coats to vanquish,” Roxas said.

“Let us come with you,” Prompto said.

Sora, Riku, and Roxas had a sad look in their eyes as they turned to him.

“Sorry Prompto, but we can’t do that,” Sora said.

“There’s this whole stupid world order rule.” Roxas crossed his arms.

“Basically, we can’t meddle in the affairs of other worlds …”

“Even though you guys have been doing that for, like, ever …” Roxas interrupted the older teen.

“Point is,” Riku interrupted. “You guys have to leave it to us to find Noctis, alright?”

Prompto was about to retort when Roxas placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry Prom. We’ll get him back.” He squeezed the freckled blonde’s shoulder and gave him a smile.

There was something about the smile, however, that had Prompto feeling a bit uncomfortable. There was something else lying underneath it. It wasn’t insincere. As a matter of fact, the smile was genuine, but held something else.

With one last squeeze, Roxas let go of his shoulder and stepped back. “It was good seeing you guys again.”

“Don’t worry everyone!” Sora said. “Next time you see us, Noct will be right by our side!”

“But-”

“Don’t worry Prom,” Roxas said. “You’ll see us again soon. Don’t worry.”

Again, he gave off that smile that hid something else. Prompto didn’t know what, but he did know that Ignis and Gladio seemed to have sensed the same thing as well, for they all exchanged a quick glance.

Ignis nodded. “We shall leave it to you then.”

There was no heartfelt farewell, for Roxas had promised that they would all meet again. Everyone except for Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto had gone back inside. The three stood at the bottom of the steps to the Citadel, watching as the Gummi Ship got smaller and smaller in the sky.

“You guys saw it too right?” Prompto asked.

“Oh yeah,” Gladio answered. “The kid’s either hiding something, or he’s up to something.”

“I’m not sure if I should be concerned or not,” Ignis said.

The blonde nodded. “And he called me Prom. He doesn’t call me that. It was weird.”

“You think he was trying to tell us something?” asked Gladio.

“If so, then what?” Ignis adjusted his glasses.

Suddenly, the air around them felt unusual. It sent a slight shiver down their spines, causing them to turn around.

Gladio chuckled. “So that’s what he was trying to tell us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tumblr: @l-curasha-l


	5. What The Heart Wants

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, it's 2020 already and we're all still here!
> 
> Sorry for the lack of updates. I was pretty busy with the holidays and to top it all off, I was having an existential crisis. Not to worry though. According to my psychologist, I get those moods cause I begin to feel disconnected to people. My friends made sure to come over and cure me though, so it's all good XD
> 
> Anyway, enough about me. Let's find out more about our bois!

_“We’re not saying you can change him, cause people don’t really change_

_We’re only saying that love’s a force that’s powerful and strange_

_People make bad choices when they’re mad, or scared, or stressed_

_But throw a little love their way_

_And you’ll bring out their best_

_True love brings out the best"_

\- Frozen, _Fixer Upper_

“I feel bad,” Sora said as he leaned against his palm in his seat. “They just want to save their friend. I know how that feeling of helplessness is. Like you can’t do anything to help the ones you care for.”

“It’s for the best Sora,” Riku said as he clapped a hand on the brunette’s shoulder. “If we let them come with us, we’re only putting them in danger and exposing them to things they’re not familiar with.”

Sora sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

Suddenly, a crash erupted from the sleeping area. The two teens turned their heads to the door.

“Roxas, is that you?” Sora called out. “You okay?”

A few seconds later, the door slid open to reveal Roxas. “Yeah. Just fell off the bed, that’s all.”

Riku raised a brow. “We haven’t even warped out of here yet.”

“Well excuse me Noctis 2.0 but not everyone is as perfect as you. Some of us fall off beds in our sleep.”

“… right.”

“Anyway, are we ready to warp yet?”

Sora looked down at a screen. “Yep. You guys ready?”

Riku and Roxas sat in their seats and strapped themselves in. They each gave a thumbs up.

“Luna, you ready?” Sora said as he turned his head to look at the princess. She was sitting against one of the walls, strapped in as well. She gave him a small smile and a nod. “Alright, then let’s go!”

The brunette pressed a button and off they went. The Gummi Ship launched at an incredible speed, causing everyone to feel the intense pressure from how fast they were going. It only lasted for a good five seconds until the ship was back at a normal constant speed.

Once again, a crash was heard coming from the sleeping area.

“Alright, that’s it,” Riku stood up, summoning his keyblade. Roxas quickly stood up as well only to have the silvernette’s blade pointed at him. “I knew you were lying when you said that sound was you falling off the bed. You can lie to Sora, but you can’t lie to me.”

Roxas held his hands out. “Okay, look, let me explain.”

Riku turned and walked to the door. “No. I’m gonna get down to the bottom of this.” The door slid open and his eyes widened in shock. He looked at Roxas, a bit of anger in his eyes. “Roxas, what the hell?!”

“Is something wrong?” Lunafreya asked.

Sora ran up to the door, ready to fight something or someone if need be, but what he saw was surprising and, if he was being honest, pleasant.

“Hehe. Hey guys,” Prompto greeted from his spot on the floor, partially buried under Gladio and Ignis.

“So let me get this straight. After talking about the whole world order thing and how dangerous it would be to bring them along, you still decided, without letting any of us know, that you were going to teleport them here anyway?!” Riku asked in a serious and angry tone.

“Yes. You know why? Cause I was in their shoes once, _Riku_ , and so were you! You should know better than anyone how it feels to know that your friend is in trouble and that there’s nothing you can do about it!” Roxas answered, his voice raised.

“Don’t you dare start with that! That was completely different!”

Roxas scoffed. “Why? Cause it was your best friend in trouble? Newsflash Riku. Noctis may not be your best friend, but he is theirs.” Roxas pointed to the three men who were just standing to the side feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Riku glared daggers at the blonde. “Don’t you dare start with the whole ‘trying to make me feel like I’m the bad guy’ thing, cause you’re in the wrong this time Roxas, not me!”

“This time?” Prompto whispered in question to Sora.

Sora shook his head. “They’ve been … arguing a bit lately.”

Gladio softly chuckled. “It’s like watching an old married couple.”

“Indeed,” Ignis agreed as they continued to watch the argument unfold.

“Am I really the one that’s wrong here?” Roxas asked with snark in his tone. “The way I see it, I’m helping them and we get a few extra hands to help us out as well.”

“Yeah, a few extra hands that could possibly get killed.”

“They can handle their own, Riku! I don’t know why you’re acting like they’re kids we have to watch over!”

“I don’t know about you, but I actually watch over my friends’ backs! I’m just worried that we won’t be able to do that!”

Roxas narrowed his eyes, taking a step closer to the taller teen. “What are you saying? That I don’t watch out for my friends?”

Riku’s eyes widened, and he faltered. “I- no I-”

“No, come on. Say it,” the blonde hissed the last words, getting up in the other’s face. “Don’t be a coward.”

Riku’s face suddenly became impassive. “Fine. You want me to say it. I’ll say it.”

Sora took a step toward the two. “Riku-”

“Stay out of this Sora,” Riku snapped, causing the brunette to halt. He turned his eyes back to Roxas. “You’re reckless, Roxas. You always just jump into any dangerous scenario headfirst without thinking about the consequences, and then we have to pick up the pieces of your mess. Not to mention that we are literally risking our lives to make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”

“I only do that cause no one else will take the initiative to do what’s right! You’re all too scared of the what ifs!”

“As should you! One day, you’re gonna get yourself killed, not to mention us as well!”

“I look out for my friends!”

Riku rolled his eyes and scoffed. “Right. Cause that went so well with Xion.”

And the next thing Riku felt was a burning throbbing pain on his left cheekbone. His head swung from the impact of Roxas’ fist against his flesh. He looked back at the blonde to see his fist still clenched and angry tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He was breathing heavily and he grit his teeth.

“Fuck you Riku!” And with that, he stormed off.

Riku sighed and closed his eyes. He knew that was a low blow and he should never have given into Roxas’ taunting. He should have just left it at that. But of course, he had to let the blonde get to him and edge him into saying the one thing that would get under his skin. He knew better and yet he let his emotions get the better of him.

“Riku, that was-”

“Fucked up? Yeah, I know.” The silvernette ran a hand through his hair in exasperation.

“Will he be alright?” a worried Prompto asked.

Sora looked like he wanted to answer but thought better of it, seeming to think it was not his place to explain. Luckily, Riku spoke up.

“I don’t know. We’ve argued before but … I’ve never said anything like that to him.” Riku took a seat and held his head in his hands. “I’m such an idiot!”

“So, this Xion person is a sore topic for him then?” Gladio asked.

Sora summoned his keyblade and stood at Riku’s side. “Xion was one of Roxas’ best friends in the Organization. She was created to serve the Organization’s plans.” He pointed the blade at Riku and was about to say a spell when Riku shook his head, putting a hand on the blade, lowering it.

“Don’t. I deserve it,” Riku said.

Sora sighed and discarded the key. “Anyway, a lot of stuff happened and Xion eventually found that out and that she was preventing me from waking up, another story for later. The only way to stop that was to … put an end to her, and that’s what Roxas did. She made him fight her and she ended up … disappearing.”

Prompto shivered. “To have to kill your best friend. That’s-”

“Unbearable.” Riku piped up. “I know that cause I almost did the same with Sora. And I still said what I said.” He turned to the group, a gash on his cheek and a purple bruise already forming around the injury.

“Hey, we all say things we don’t mean when we’re upset,” Prompto said in what he hoped was a comforting tone.

Ignis nodded. “I can’t tell you how many times we have gotten into a spat and said pretty nasty things to each other. In the end, we all know what was said wasn’t meant.”

“Yeah, but I’m usually more in control of myself,” Riku said as he looked up, a somberness in his eyes.

It was at this moment that Lunafreya stood up and decided to say her piece. She walked to the silver-haired boy and kneeled by his seat until she was at eye-level with him. “Usually, those that clash the most, care about each other the most.”

Riku blinked, a light pink dusting his cheeks and the bridge of his nose. “Wha- what?”

The princess smiled and placed a hand on the boy’s uninjured cheek in a soothing gesture. “You both said hurtful words towards one another, and yet many of those words expressed desire to protect the ones you both care about, including each other.”

The teen looked down. “Still doesn’t excuse what I did,” he muttered.

“No, of course not. But you are not the only one in the wrong here.”

Riku turned his head slightly, looking longingly at the doors to the sleeping area, the room that Roxas had gone into. Lunafreya followed his gaze.

“Give him some time first. Then, he will listen to what you have to say.”

Riku scowled as he looked out into the never-ending expanse of space. Would Roxas really listen to him? They had been fighting nearly every day now. Yeah, most of their fights had been small arguments that were resolved in a matter of minutes and it was usually over some small stupid mistake one of them had made. Poor Sora had dealt with this for a while. Riku was surprised that the brunette hadn’t flung himself off the Gummi Ship or thrown any of them out for that matter.

Now that Riku thought back on it, he was usually the one picking out every mistake that Roxas made, which only antagonized the blonde. He wasn’t even completely sure why he did it. The only reason he could think of was that he was just looking out for his friend. But Sora made mistakes too and he wasn’t always pointing them out or reprimanding him for them. Why was Roxas different? Were they just too different that they clashed naturally? Or was there still some tension from the whole ‘I kidnapped you and placed you in a fake world with fake friends and put you on the path to be a prisoner in someone’s heart’ ordeal? Yeah, Roxas said he was over it, but was he really?

Riku pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes as he felt tears of frustration build up. He quickly stood up and walked past the door leading to the kitchenette. He gripped the counter and clenched his teeth as he tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall. He closed his eyes and took in a few deep breaths, trying to collect his breathing. After a few minutes, he heard the sliding door open.

“Sora I swear to-”

“Relax dude. It’s just me.”

Riku was surprised to hear Prompto’s voice. He turned around, back leaning against the counter. “Could’ve sworn he would come.”

The freckled blonde walked up to Riku, standing a couple of feet to the side of him. “He was going to come but I said I would instead. Luna seemed to catch on and asked Sora to show her and the guys around the ship.”

Riku rubbed his eyes. “So why are you here?”

“Cause I think I know where the root of your little problem is. And I think deep down, you do too, but you don’t want to accept it.”

There was a moment of silence as Riku just stared down at his hands. “You said these feelings would go away.”

Prompto shook his head with a somber smile. “I never said that. I said there was a chance that they would fade, but that’s only if what you felt was guilt or some other emotion you were confusing with -”

“Don’t say it!” Prompto sealed his lips in a tight line and watched as the teen gave him a sharp look. “Just don’t.”

The blonde sighed. “Me not saying it doesn’t make it any less true. Why don’t you just be honest with yourself, Riku? Stop all this self-torment and just say it.”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t accept it, okay!”

“Accept what?”

“Prompto. Stop.”

“No. I’m not going to stop until you admit it.”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Yes it is! You’re my friend and I care about your well-being. As does everyone outside that door, including Roxas!”

“Stop.”

“No! You have to be honest with yourself, Riku!”

Riku looked furious now as he glared at the blonde with tears streaming down his face. “I’m in love with him! You happy now?!”

Prompto’s eyes widened and his lips parted.

“I’m in love with him and it’s the most painful thing I’ve ever felt,” Riku said as he wiped at the tears that continued to fall.

“You’re … in love with him?” Prompto asked as Riku nodded in response. “Dude, that’s great!”

“No, it’s not!” Riku took a breath and closed his eyes. “It’s not,” he said quietly.

Prompto tilted his head in question but didn’t pry the teen for more. Riku already seemed to be very emotionally drained for the day and he didn’t want to make it worst. Instead, he faced the boy and hugged him, rubbing small circles on his back. The teen clutched onto the front of the blonde’s shirt and cried.

“It’s okay Riku. I’m here. I’ve got you,” Prompto said in what he hoped was a soothing voice.

The silvernette shook his head frantically. “N-no. I- I don’t wanna l-love h-him.” He sniffled. “I don’t wanna be in l-love.”

Prompto’s heart broke at hearing this. He pat the boy’s head, still holding onto him. “Love’s a complicated emotion. It can make you feel like you’re in the clouds, but it can also make you feel like your falling from them. It has its ups and downs and right now, you’re probably feeling the latter. I don’t know why it’s causing you so much pain, but I do know that you shouldn’t wish such a special feeling like love away. Not many people get to experience feeling that, regardless if it’s requited or not.”

They continued to stay in that position for a few more minutes until Riku slowly pulled away and wiped his tear tracks away. “Sorry about that.”

Prompto shook his head. “Nah, it’s fine. Honest. I just want you to feel better.”

Riku nodded. His eyes were red, and he just looked so tired. “Thanks Prompto, for being a good friend.”

“No need to thank me for that. It’s in my job description.”

Riku let out a small laugh at that.

“You should get some rest dude. You look exhausted.”

As if on cue, Riku let out a small yawn. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I’ll just sleep in one of the pilot seats.”

Prompto sighed. “I’m pretty sure Roxas isn’t gonna kill you for sleeping in a bed.”

“No, but I’d rather not be in the same room as him right now. There’s still too much tension from earlier.”

“Alright then. But a bit of advice, if you’ll take it.”

Riku shrugged. “I’m all ears.”

Prompto squeezed his shoulder and gave a small smile. “Try to focus on the good things that this feeling does give you. I promise you it outweighs the bad.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

After assuring everyone else, especially Sora, that he was okay, Riku finally fell asleep in one of the chairs. Everyone else slept in the sleeping quarters. An hour into his sleep, Riku suddenly felt warmer and when he woke up, he realized it was because of a blanket that was wrapped around him. In the morning, he thanked Sora for the blanket, but the brunette told him that he hadn’t been the one to wrap him in the blanket. The teen looked around the room, but no one seemed to know anything. He then looked toward Roxas who was sitting at the far side of the room, looking at him. The blonde quickly looked away once the silvernette’s eyes met his but Riku only smiled.

Maybe things weren’t as bad as he thought.

* * *

Lunafreya gave Ignis a thankful nod as she took his offered hand to help her off the Gummi Ship. She stepped onto the grass that lied below and gave the adviser a smile. She then looked forward to see a tall tower. The sky was lit up in different hues of green, blue, and orange. The whole scene looked beautiful and intimidating at the same time. Sora led the way, walking up to the tower and holding the door open.

“After all of you,” he said as he gestured with a hand.

Lunafreya was the first to step in. She couldn’t help but marvel at the long beautiful staircase that seemed to go on forever. The whole inside of the tower seemed to have a sort of magical aura to it. That was the only way she could explain it.

Sora scratched his head and gave a sheepish laugh. “Should have warned you about the stairs so you could dress into something more comfortable Luna.”

Luna shook her head and smiled. “Oh, please Sora. I escaped Lucis in heels and a far more complicated dress. This staircase is nothing I can’t handle.”

“Haha! Well alright then! Let’s head up!” Sora said cheerfully as he began making his way up the staircase. Everyone else followed him and once they reached the top, they stopped in front of a door. Sora turned to face them all. “Okay so you guys are going to meet the most powerful sorcerer there is. Don’t freak out or panic or anything, okay?”

Ignis chuckled. “I believe you are the one ‘freaking out’ here Sora.”

Sora laughed and opened the door. The first thing, or person, that caught Lunafreya’s eye was the man sitting at a desk. He was in a blue robe and wore a blue wizard’s hat. He seemed to be staring at all of them intently. His gaze seemed to focus more on her and someone else behind her, but she didn’t dare turn around. She didn’t want to seem rude after all.

His seemingly emotionless façade then broke as he gave a small smile. “Welcome. I am Master Yen Sid.”

After his greeting, the group gave a small bow. Lunafreya was the first to speak to the man. “Thank you, Master Yen Sid. I am Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae. It is an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is mine, Princess Lunafreya. You emit radiance and light, just as a Princess of Heart should.” He looked past her and gave a curt nod. “Ignis Scientia. A man of intelligence and unrelenting loyalty.”

Ignis gave another small bow. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Yen Sid said. “And you must be Gladiolus Amicitia. A man of valor and determination.”

“Nice to meet’cha,” the shield responded.

Yen Sid nodded in response. “And Prompto Argentum. One of kindness and compassion.” He narrowed his eyes. “Your heart … it is quite similar to Sora’s.”

Prompto chuckled. “Yeah, our hearts are kinda connected.”

The sorcerer shook his head. “Not in that way. Similar in traits.”

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

“I can assure you, it is. It is rare to see a heart like Sora’s, so seeing that yours bares a striking resemblance to his is reassuring.” The man looked around then asked, “I do not see the prince anywhere. Did he not accompany you?”

“Not to be rude or anything, but how do you know who we are and who Noct is?” Gladio asked.

Yen Sid interlaced his fingers on the desk. “I know many things. It is part of being an all-powerful sorcerer. However, this does not mean that I know everything.”

It was silent for a minute as everyone took in the information, then Ignis decided to answer Yen Sid’s question. “Prince Noctis was taken by Organization 13.”

Yen Sid closed his eyes and sighed. “And I assume that neither of you knows the reason why?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“Now, my next question is, how did you manage to get here?”

Lunafreya had a feeling that the question wasn’t directed at her. After all, if this was the place where she was going to stay to be safe, then she assumed that Yen Sid had to have known before hand that Sora was going to bring her here. No, the question was directed to her other three friends. From the corner of her eye, she saw Roxas making a move to step forward when Riku beat him to it.

“It was me,” the teen said. “I snuck them on the Gummi Ship.”

Yen Sid raised a brow. “You, Riku? I am surprised. As a keyblade master, you should know better than to break the world order.”

“I know. I just thought that they could help us out.”

“This is surprising behavior from you Riku. I have to say I am-”

“It was me,” Roxas interrupted, stepping up to stand next to the silvernette. “I opened a portal for them and they got on the ship that way. Riku and Sora didn’t find out until we were already far out. Riku reprimanded me but I … I didn’t listen.” At these last words, the blonde gave a quick glance at Riku, but he didn’t seem to be angry. He looked rather guilty.

Lunafreya shook her head slightly. _Boys_ , she thought to herself. _Always making things beyond complicated._

Master Yen Sid looked between the two boys. “Regardless, this may have worked to your benefit.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sora.

“This journey will be much more difficult than your previous ones. It will push you beyond your limits, physically and mentally. These three seem to radiate strength from the heart. They will accompany you on your journey. Plus, I believe they may have their own ideas on how to best locate Prince Noctis. After all, they do know him the best.”

“Woo hoo!” Prompto cheered. He then abruptly covered his mouth. “Sorry.”

Lunafreya giggled and patted him on the arm.

“Master, are the others here?” Sora asked.

Yen Sid gave a nod. “Donald and Goofy are in the next room waiting for you. Kairi and Axel, however, are training.”

The teen deflated a bit but smiled nonetheless. “How’s the training going?”

“Kairi is proving to be a natural-born keyblade wielder. Axel seems to be a good sparring partner for her.”

“What about the king?” Riku suddenly asked.

“Do not worry. You two will meet him at Radiant Garden,” Yen Sid answered, gesturing to Riku and Roxas. “Sora, you and your companions must begin your search for the remaining six Princesses of Heart. I will ensure that Princess Lunafreya is safe here.”

“You can count on us Master Yen Sid. We won’t let you down,” Sora said with a salute.

“I know you won’t. Now go.”

* * *

“It sure is nice to see you all again. Now we can actually be proper friends,” Goofy said cheerfully as he took a seat.

Gladio chuckled. “Goofy, was it? So, you’re your king’s protector?”

“I guess you can say that. I’m the captain of the royal guard, but I spend my time making sure His Majesty is safe, except for when he assigns me to protect Sora on his journeys.”

“Everyone knows he needs all the protection he can get,” Donald snickered.

Sora sighed and collapsed onto a seat. “And so it begins.”

“What begins?” asked Prompto.

“Donald’s verbal abuse and whining.”

Donald rolled his eyes and scoffed, pressing a series of buttons on the dash of the ship. “I wouldn’t have to ‘whine’ if you would just listen every once in a while. Someone needs to keep you in line.”

Ignis chuckled. “I know the feeling.”

“Oh my gosh they’ve found their other halves,” Sora said.

“Guess that makes you and Prompto one and the same,” Gladio said.

“No way!” Prompto and Sora said in unison. They looked at each other, baffled, then laughed.

“So, who’s Noct’s other half then?” the blonde asked.

“Riku,” Gladio said without hesitation.

“Definitely Riku,” Ignis agreed. “It doesn’t help that he looks like Noctis now either.”

“Yep, puberty hit him like the Gummi Ship,” Sora said with a pout.

Prompto gave the boy a confused look. “I think you mean truck.”

“No, I mean Gummi Ship. At first, it hit him like a truck, then it hit him like a train, now it hit him like the Gummi Ship cause I couldn’t think of anything bigger.”

Gladio burst out laughing, clutching his stomach. “You almost sound jealous there.”

“Well yeah! I haven’t had any glow up or anything! I still look the same!”

The three men gave Sora a deadpan look.

“Sora, I love you and all, but if you say that again, I’m gonna have to punch you,” Prompto said.

Gladio and Ignis nodded. The adviser patted Sora on the head. “You have a different charm than Riku, but it’s there nonetheless.”

“Riku has more of that tough guy character to him while you’re more sensitive and sweet. And let me tell you something, lots of girls are into that,” Gladio said with a wink.

Sora blushed furiously and turned away from them. “You say that like I’m trying to impress someone.”

“Kairi, right?”

Sora covered his face. “Oh my gosh you guys still remember.”

“Yep!” Prompto said. “And you can’t deny it cause when you asked about the others, I felt your heart give this hopeful jump.”

“This connection is both helpful and terrifying at the same time,” Sora mumbled.

Prompto put an arm around the teen’s shoulders and pinched his cheek. “Don’t worry Sora. You are a beautiful boy.” Sora laughed and shrugged him off. “And you’ll just keep getting more beautiful,” Prompto said with a fake sniffle.

“Ahh, that reminds me of the old days watching Noct ‘freak out’ over your puberty truck, Prompto,” Ignis said, a smirk on his face.

“Wait, what?”

Gladio chuckled. “I still remember that day clearly. It was Noct’s first day of high school and we were waiting for him to get back. So me and Iggy were just minding our own business when Noct bursts through the doors and screams, ‘Oh my gods, he’s hot now!’ He had this panicked look on his face and he was breathing so heavily like if he just ran a marathon.”

“He probably did, considering he didn’t call me to pick him up that day …” Ignis said.

“Had to run off all that extra energy from seeing a, and I quote, ‘adorable cinnamon roll turned hot pretty boy.”

Now it was Prompto’s turn to blush and hide his face. “Oh my gods. He never told me this.”

Gladio’s eyes lit up. “Oh there’s more than that. I could probably write a whole book with all of Noct’s pining.”

Ignis rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous Gladio.”

Prompto sighed in relief. “Thanks Iggy.”

“It would fill at least five encyclopedia-sized books.”

Everyone laughed. However, Prompto’s short laughter turned into small sobs almost instantly. The laughter ceased and Gladio and Sora nearly ran to the blonde’s side. Ignis went to another room and quickly came back with some napkins, handing them to Prompto.

Prompto sniffled and gratefully took them. “I’m sorry. I just … I miss him and I’m … I’m worried. What if he’s being tortured? What if he’s already de-”

“Hey,” Gladio said, gripping Prompto’s shoulder and looking him in the eyes. “Noct is tougher than that, you know that. The kid was able to defy the will of the gods and survive. I’m pretty sure that a couple of idiots in black coats is a walk in the park for him.” He gave a small reassuring smile to the blonde.

Prompto chuckled and wiped at the tear streaks on his cheeks with a napkin. “He’s not a kid you know.”

Gladio rolled his eyes. “Oh please. You two will always be kids to me.”

Sora hugged Prompto as tightly as he could. “Don’t worry Prom! We’ll find him. I know we will.”

Prompto gave the boy a small smile and ruffled his hair. “We better. He promised after all.”


	6. The Girl With the Golden Hair

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's that time of the year again where school is starting up, and that means that updates may not be as frequent anymore. This semester seems like it will be particularly stressful, and I haven't even started yet DX

_“There’s no heart your smile can’t reach.”_

\- Kairi, Kingdom Hearts 3

“Hey fellas, I think we got something,” Goofy exclaimed.

Sora clambered to the window and looked out at the never-ending sky. “Are you talking about that little dot right over there?” He pointed to said dot.

“Yep!”

“We’re supposed to get excited over a dot?” Gladio asked, unamused.

“It could be a world,” Goofy said.

“But how do we know it’s the one we need to go to?” Ignis asked.

Sora turned to the adviser and shrugged. “We don’t. We just go there and hope we get lucky.”

Gladio raised a brow. “So you’re saying that we might have to go to countless worlds before we find Noct and those princesses?”

“… maybe …”

“You’re gonna give Prompto here a stroke, you know that right?”

“Gee, thanks for the encouraging words, Gladio,” Prompto said.

Sora huffed. “Look. We have no idea where Noct or the princesses are. We do know that we’re about to land on a world right now and regardless if we find what we’re looking for, we can still help the people there. So everyone just shut up and start acting like adults!”

Everyone merely blinked at the boy.

“Well, uhh, okay then. Let’s go save the world then,” Gladio said.

Ignis nodded. “Specifically, that world.”

“Good,” Sora said. “Alright everyone, so remember when I told you guys about that whole world order thing? Yeah, that’s out the window. If we’re gonna convince a Princess of Heart to come with us, we need to tell her the truth.”

“Don’t worry Sora. I’ve got this.” Gladio winked.

Sora sighed. “I don’t think you can charm your way through this. I don’t think you’re really the type of guy a girl with a pure heart goes for. I mean, one of the past princesses had a boyfriend that was homeless.”

“So you’re saying they’re into wimpy sensitive guys, right?”

Sora winced. “You didn’t have to say it like that. I mean they’re not technically wimpy …”

“This seems like a job for you, Prom.” Gladio teased.

“Haha. Very funny. Let’s see you laugh when it actually works,” Prompto said.

Sora laughed. “Alright guys. Get ready. These landings can be a bit rough sometimes.”

“Sooo, any idea where we are?” Prompto asked as he took in the greenery around him.

“A forest, duh,” answered the shield.

“Wow. Thanks for the info, big guy. I had no idea.”

Sora stopped, causing everyone else to subsequently bump into each other. “It’s a dead end.” A stone wall with hanging vines and other plants stood before them.

Ignis hummed. “Maybe not. I’ve been through enough caverns and dungeons to know that a blocked path may not always be a dead end.” He put his hands on the wall, feeling for some sort of switch or lever.

“Ignis, I really don’t think-”

Ignis let out a small scream as he suddenly fell through the vines hanging from the rock wall. Prompto and Gladio laughed at the adviser’s misfortune. Sora ran past the vines and knelt next to Ignis who was sitting on the grass.

“Ignis, are you okay?”

Ignis stood up with a grunt. “Peachy.”

Donald and Goofy walked through the hanging plants. The mage looked ahead and squinted his eyes. “There’s light at the end.”

The four walked on, Gladio and Prompto eventually catching up. At the end of the small tunnel, they all stopped and stared in awe.

“Whoah,” Sora said. “That’s … wow.”

Gladio stepped up next to him. “You talkin’ about the tower, or the mile-long hair?”

“Both, but mostly the hair.”

The group was staring at a tall tower that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. Climbing down from that tower was a girl with extremely long golden blonde hair. She was using her hair as a rope to get down to the ground. A man seemed to be waiting for her at the bottom.

Sora walked forward and gestured for the others to follow. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Are you sure?” Ignis asked. “Won’t they be frightened? After all, we are dressed in much more … modern attire compared to them.”

Goofy gave off a smile. “Don’t worry. People on other worlds don’t usually question why we look different.”

“… that is rather odd.”

“That’s what I think,” Donald said. “We go to all these worlds and stick out from everyone else. Especially me and Goofy. We’re talking animals! Why doesn’t anyone question that?!”

Prompto chuckled. “Maybe the shock hits them that hard. They can’t even properly question you guys.”

Sora shrugged. “I think it’s better for us, isn’t it? The less questions the better, right?”

Goofy nodded. “Yep, but now we gotta throw it all out the window, like you said.”

“So, what? We’re just gonna walk up to them and be like, ‘Hey there! We’re from another world. By the way, do you know where we can find a Princess of Heart, cause if we don’t find her, everyone is gonna die?!” Prompto exclaimed.

Sora flinched at the slight panic in the blonde’s voice. “No. We’re gonna introduce ourselves, see if they need any help, and then hopefully we’ll find a Princess of Heart along the way.”

“Not to sound shitty or anything, but isn’t that basically a waste of time?” Gladio asked.

Donald shook his head. “Sora’s heart knows the way. It guides him, so it guides us. If his heart tells him to go to a world, it’s for a certain reason.”

“May your heart be your guiding key,” Goofy said. “It’s an old saying that the keyblade wielders of the past used. Still seems to come in handy.”

Everyone let the words sink in, but didn’t comment on them, for they had finally reached the pair near the tower. Sora stood at the front, giving off a friendly wave and a smile. “Hi there!”

The girl seemed a bit frightened, for she stood behind the man. The man rolled his eyes. “Don’t worry Blondie. They’re not gonna hurt us. At least I think they won’t.”

“I assure you, we come in peace. We mean no harm,” Ignis said, holding his hands in a calming gesture.

This seemed to ease the girl’s nerves, for she stepped out from behind the man, just a bit. “You’re not ruffians, are you?”

Ignis shook his head. “Heavens no. We are-”

“Sora!” the teen exclaimed as he jumped up in front of Ignis.

“Donald!” the mage jumped on the boy’s back.

“And I’m Goofy!” the knight jumped on Donald, causing all three of them to fall in a pile.

Ignis sighed. “I am Ignis. These are-”

“Hey there. The name’s Gladio,” the shield said with a smile.

Prompto jumped into Gladio’s arms and struck a pose. “And I’m Prompto!”

Ignis looked at the two, baffled. “Did you plan this?”

Prompto nodded. “Uh huh. Gotta make an entrance.”

The adviser sighed and turned back to the two strangers. “I really do apologize for all this. It does not make for a first good impression.”

The man waved off the apology. “No biggie. At least we know you’re not … _ruffians_.” He gave a knowing look to the blonde female who gave him a sheepish smile. “Name’s Flynn. This is Rapunzel.”

Rapunzel gave a small wave. Her eyes lit up when they reached Prompto and she stepped up to him, reaching out to touch his hair. “Your hair is as golden as mine. Does it-” She stopped whatever she was going to say and retracted her hand. “Never mind. How did you find this place?”

“The tower?” Donald asked as he shoved Goofy off him.

Rapunzel nodded.

“Were we not supposed to find it?” Gladio asked.

Rapunzel played with a strand of her hair. “Yeah. It’s supposed to be hidden from everyone and everything, you know, to keep me safe.” Everyone, except for Rapunzel and Sora gave each other a knowing look. “What’s wrong?”

Ignis shook his head. “Nothing. Just merely wondering how long you’ve … lived in that tower.”

“My whole life actually.”

“Blondie here has never been outside apparently,” Flynn mentioned. There were gasps but Flynn just stood tall with a proud look on his face. “Which is why I’m going to take her to see the lanterns. You know, cause I’m a nice guy like that.”

Rapunzel rolled her eyes and shook her head. “We made a deal. That’s why he’s doing this.”

“You insult me.”

“I tell the truth.”

Sora raised his hand. “Um, what lantern thing are you guys talking about?”

“Well,” Rapunzel began, “Every year on my birthday, the floating lights-”

“Lanterns,” Flynn corrected.

“Right. The lanterns light up the night sky. I’ve always wanted to go and see them in person because I feel like … they mean something. It can’t just be a coincidence that they come out only on my birthday, right?”

“Blondie, I already told you, they do it for the lost princess. You, and quite a few others, just happen to have the same birthday as her.”

Ignis raised a questioning brow. “The lost princess?”

Flynn crossed his arms. “The king and queen of Corona had a child once. Unfortunately, she was taken away from them. Every year on the princess’ birthday, they have a festival and let lanterns out into the sky in order for the princess to find her way back to them.”

“Well isn’t that sweet,” said Goofy.

Gladio chuckled and nudged Ignis with his elbow. “You think we should do something like that for Noctis?”

Ignis rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.

“Noctis?” asked the blonde girl.

Prompto rubbed the back of his neck. “He’s a friend of ours. A prince back where we come from actually. He disappeared so we’re looking for him.”

“How does he look? Maybe I’ve seen him wandering around here,” Flynn said.

“Basically my height, black spiky hair, blue-gray eyes, wears all black.”

“I’m assuming he wears similar clothes to the ones you guys are wearing?”

Prompto nodded. “Yeah.”

“Sorry, haven’t seen anyone like that recently.”

Prompto sighed but instantly perked up again. “Hey, no worries. We’ll just have to keep looking.”

Sora stepped forward. “We’re also looking for someone else.”

“Who?” asked Rapunzel.

The teen chuckled. “That’s the thing, we don’t know. It’s more like a we’ll know who when we see them thing? So you mind if we tag along? We might find them along the way.”

“Of course!”

Flynn rolled his eyes and sighed. “The more the merrier I guess.”

* * *

“We’re back Master Yen Sid!”

Lunafreya looked up from her book to see two redheads walk in. One was a teenage girl and the other was a young man, probably around her age. The girl had long red hair that was pulled up into a high ponytail. She wore black shorts, a sleeveless light pink hoodie that was zipped up just below her chest to reveal a white shirt underneath. She had black fingerless gloves that nearly reached her elbow and long pink combat boots with black laces.

The young man on the other hand was wearing a grey plaid shirt with a black short-sleeved hoodie on top. He wore crimson jeans and black boots. He had black fingerless gloves as well, but his were short rather than long. His hair was long and spiky and seemed to defy gravity.

“Naminé?” the man asked.

Lunafreya smiled and shook her head. She put her book down and stood from her seat. “Hello.”

“Hi,” the girl greeted back cheerfully. “I’m Kairi!”

Lunafreya nodded. “It’s nice to meet you Kairi.” She looked up at the other to see that he was staring at her with awe. This amused Lunafreya.

Kairi seemed to catch on and nudged the man, snapping him out of his daze. “Sorry. I’m …” He thought for a moment then stuck his hand out. “Lea.”

Lunafreya gently took his hand and shook it. “Lea. Pleasure to meet you. Both of you. I am Lunafreya.”

Lea took his hand back and looked at it. “Your touch, it feels … like light.”

The blonde laughed lightly. “I would hope so.”

At that moment, Yen Sid appeared in a whirl of smoke. “Ah, I see you three are getting acquainted.”

“Not to sound rude or anything, but why is Lunafreya here?” Lea asked.

“Princess Lunafreya here is not only royalty, but a Princess of Heart as well.”

Lea nodded. “Ahh, that explains the whole light thing you’ve got going on. Sorry if I came off weird. I’m still trying to get used to being surrounded by something other than darkness.”

Lunafreya shook her head. “It is quite alright.”

Kairi looked to Yen Sid. “So, he’s really doing it then? Sora’s going to bring all the Princesses of Heart here?”

Yen Sid nodded. “It is for the best. If we leave even just one unprotected, we risk the Organization getting to them.”

“So it’s another long journey for him,” the girl said with a hint of worry in her voice.

“I wouldn’t worry too much,” Yen Sid said with a small smile. “He has the help of some new and formidable friends. He’ll be just fine.”

“New friends?”

Yen Sid turned to the blonde. “I’m sure that Lunafreya will be able to provide a much better explanation than me.”

“I’d be happy to,” she responded.

“How about we talk about this as I make us some lunch? I don’t know about you two, but I’m starving,” Lea said.

“Of course.”

“I shall be in my study if anyone needs me,” Yen Sid said.

After a moderate explanation of how Sora helped rid Eos of the darkness and how Noctis was taken a few days ago by the Organization, Lea had finished cooking. They sat at the table, each with a bowl of creamy looking soup. Lunafreya raised a spoonful to her lips and hummed as the warmth and flavors filled her mouth.

“This is delicious. Where did you learn to cook, Lea?” Lunafreya said.

“Yeah Lea. Where did you learn?” Kairi asked. “He’s never told me. He always tries to avoid the question.”

Lunafreya’s eyes widened. “Oh, if you don’t want to answer, I understand. I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable …”

Lea sighed. “No, it’s alright. It’s not really a big deal anyway.” He lazily stirred his soup and rested his face in his hand. “I actually learned back in the Organization. As Nobodies, we didn’t need to eat but some of us missed the taste of food. Guess it made us feel a bit more human, like we had a heart,” Lea said with a shrug. “Anyway, the first time I tried to cook, I nearly burned the kitchen down.”

“Nearly?” Kairi seemed amused. “So someone stopped you. Who was it?”

“Someone you would least expect. Larxene.”

The girl tilted her head. “Larxene? Isn’t she the electric, and I quote, ‘bitch’, who nearly killed Sora?”

Lea nodded. “Yep. That’s the one.”

Kairi raised her brow. “So how did someone like her end up helping someone like you? Wouldn’t you two, like clash or something?”

Lea chuckled. “That’s exactly what happened. She came in claiming how she had to do everything around here cause the whole castle was filled with idiots. She’d take over what I was trying to make and fix it or salvage what she could. It happened like that every time I messed up a dish. She would walk in and shove me away, grumbling and berating me while she instructed me. I would tease her of course and insult her back.

“After a while though, there were less insults and more decent conversations. There was teasing, but the friendly kind. It was nice.” Lea got a faraway look in his eyes and a slight smile graced his lips. “Eventually, I got the hang of cooking but I would still purposefully burn the food just so she would come in. Guess I just wanted an excuse to spend time with her. She was a different person when we talked. She genuinely smiled and had this soft look in her eyes.

“I remember that we liked to talk about the things we could remember from when we had hearts. She said that she couldn’t remember being angry 24/7 as a human. I thought it was probably cause she didn’t have a heart, so she just ‘expressed’ whatever was easier. In this case, it was anger. She didn’t know why being around me made her feel what she believed was happy.”

“Were you two ever …”

“Yeah, eventually. It was nice while it lasted. Then Castle Oblivion happened and she wanted to team up with Marluxia. I only went along with it because of her. But she changed and became more cruel, like the darkness was finally consuming her. Then she faded and, well I had no more reason to be on Marluxia’s side, so I decided to take up Saix on his offer of getting rid of the Castle Oblivion team.”

Kairi got up and ran to Lea and hugged him as best as she could since he was still sitting down. “Oh Lea, I’m sorry that happened to you. That must have been awful.”

Lea shrugged and patted her hair. “It’s no big deal. I couldn’t feel anything as a Nobody so …”

“It doesn’t seem like that to me,” Lunafreya said. “The way you spoke told me you felt something. And I believe Larxene felt something as well.”

Lea shook his head. “That can’t be possible. We had no hearts.”

“Are you certain? Or were you told?”

“I-” Lea seemed stumped, for he scratched his head in thought.

“Perhaps you weren’t as heartless as you thought.”

“Hmm, perhaps …”

Kairi swooned. “Sounds like a love story to me.”

“More like a tragic one,” Lea murmured.

“No, I refuse to accept that! We’re gonna change that!” Lea looked at the girl with surprise. Lunafreya giggled at Kairi’s sudden determination. “If you came back, then Larxene probably did too. We just need to find her and you two could be reunited!”

Lea smiled down at the girl. “You’re very hopeful kiddo. That’s a good trait to have.”

“Hope is what keeps us going on,” Lunafreya said. “If we do not have hope, then we have nothing.”

“Spoken like a true Princess of Heart,” Lea chuckled.

“I digress. I speak only as another fellow human being that has gone through a great deal of hardships and pain.”

Lea sighed as he stirred his soup. “That’s something we all have in common unfortunately.”

“Hey!” Kairi said. “That just means we’re all stronger cause of what we’ve gone through. Things will get better for us! I know it! We’ve fought too hard and long to end up suffering even more.”

Lunafreya nodded. “You make a fair point, Kairi.”

The three continued eating their lunch in relative silence. It was nice to just sit at a table with friends and eat a good meal – because yes, even though she had only just met them, Lunafreya already considered Kairi and Lea friends of hers. It was nice to temporarily forget about the current situation at hand.

After they finished their meal, they lounged around in the common room. Lea was on what looked to be a cellphone, Kairi was writing in a journal, and Lunafreya was resuming the book she had been reading. It was quite interesting if she did say so herself. The book discussed the properties of the heart and the behavior of the Heartless and Nobodies as well. Lunafreya felt that as a Princess of Heart, it was her duty to know as much as possible about these things.

“Hey Kairi,” Lea said, eyes not leaving his phone.

The redheaded girl looked up from her writing. “Yeah?”

“Riku says, and I quote, ‘Answer your damn messages.”

Kairi giggled and pulled out her own cellphone. “He said that?”

“Yep,” Lea answered, popping the ‘P’. “Don’t know why he said it like that though. You’re like, his favorite person, next to Sora that is.”

Kairi giggled. “I doubt that.” She scrolled through her phone and began typing.

Lea raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Kairi shrugged. “You’ll have to figure that one out on your own.”

Lunafreya smiled as Lea rolled his eyes at Kairi’s answer. She knew what the girl was referring to. She had seen it aboard the Gummi Ship. She could feel it.

Ever since the light had been restored on Eos and Tenebrae had been rebuilt, Lunafreya had focused on mastering her powers as a Princess of Heart. One of the perks of being a Princess of Heart was that she could focus on another’s heart and decipher what they were feeling.

She had promised herself that she wouldn’t use this power on anyone unless she got their permission, for to feel one’s emotions would be an invasion of privacy. However, at the time, she had been worried for the teen and had unknowingly been focusing her power on his heart. His emotions had hit her all at once and she had been overwhelmed.

There was so much love and pain in that boy’s heart, so much that Lunafreya had had to excuse herself in order to cry in the bathroom. As she had calmed down, she had realized that there was another emotion lying underneath.

Fear.

He was terrified of not only what he was feeling, but of the possibilities of what would happen if anyone were to ever find out. Especially if _he_ were to find out.

“Hey Luna, you have a phone?” Lea suddenly asked.

Lunafreya looked up at the man and nodded. “Yes.”

“Would you mind if I see it for a sec?”

“Not at all.” Lunafreya handed her cellphone to Lea.

The redhead scrolled and typed on her phone for a couple of minutes before giving it back to her. “I downloaded a social media app that we all use. Since I doubt your cellphone can make direct calls or send messages to ours, we can communicate with each other through the app.”

Lunafreya smiled as she opened the app and saw that Lea had already made a profile for her. “It looks a bit like a social media website back on Eos.”

Lea chuckled. “Great. Shouldn’t be too tricky to use then. You can also post pictures and videos too, but we mostly use it to have group discussions and whatnot.”

Lunafreya also noticed that Lea had already added himself and the others to her list of followers. “Thank you, Lea. I do appreciate your help.”

Lea bashfully smiled. “No biggie. Just thought you might want to stay in the loop of things. Also, thought you might miss your friends. I’ll get Sora to get them in on this too.”

Lunafreya thanked him once again and began familiarizing herself with the app. When she saw the boy’s profile, the boy who felt so much love, pain, and fear, she tapped on it and started a chat with him.

 **Luna:** _I wish you luck on your journey and know that if you are ever in need of a friend that I am here. Always._

The princess looked at her screen for a minute. She was about to put it away, certain that the teen wouldn’t respond, when a bubble with three dots popped up next to his name. Lunafreya stared at the small bubble until it disappeared and in its place, a response popped up.

**Riku:** _So you know?_

**Luna:** _Yes. I have for some time._

**_Riku:_ ** _I see._

Lunafreya put her phone down and continued reading her book, for Riku didn’t respond right away. Once her phone notified her of a new message, she picked it up once more.

**Riku:** _Two years ago._

**Riku:** _It was about two years ago that he turned my life upside down …_


	7. Through Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone, I'm back!
> 
> First things first, I hope y'all are staying safe and healthy and practicing social distancing. I know I am and it's driving me stir-crazy but I'm just taking it day by day and holding onto that hope, knowing that we will get through this.  
> Due to the virus, my classes are all now online so I will have a lot more time to work on fics, hence why I'm able to update now. I swear I am not lying to you all when I say nearly all of my time and stress was focused on one stupid class that gave me mental and nervous breakdowns. Fortunately, I have a lot of time to de-stress and focus more on myself and socializing with friends.  
> I hope that my writing can be of some help to those dealing with anxiety or just being bored in their houses. Also, I've made a discord so anyone can join. If you have any anxiety from this situation or from being socially distant, come talk! Whether that be on discord or tumblr, I'm willing to talk! I think we could all use a bit of socializing more than ever right now.
> 
> Now for chapter talk. This chapter is pretty lengthy and I really enjoyed writing it. It's based on experiences and emotions I've gone through growing as a person and figuring out just how to feel and express emotions. This chapter is named after a song, Through Glass by Hands Like Houses. The lyrics will be in bold italics, because most of the chapter is going to be in regular italics. I hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf%E2%80%9D>Discord</a>%20%20%0A%0A<a%20href=)

_I’m told that love is golden_

_Something to hold when the going’s tough_

_\- Through Glass,_ Hands Like Houses

****

_Two years ago._

_It was about two years ago that he turned my life upside down …_

_And I was not ready for him._

_The first time I saw him was also the first time I took off that blindfold in what felt like forever. I had sworn to myself that I wouldn’t take it off, for I feared that I would give into the darkness … that it would consume me, and I would lose myself forever. But I took it off, because I had heard his voice, heard him say my name, and I had to know how he looked. I just had to._

_I was tailing him, trying to figure out just who Roxas was, for if I was going to ruin his life, I wanted to know just who’s life I was ruining. I had stopped once the sound of his footsteps ceased. I heard a sharp intake of breath, and then a hiss. He sounded like he was in pain. He grunted, then released a breath._

_“Riku?”_

_My breath hitched and I covered my mouth to prevent any more sounds from escaping. His voice … it was mesmerizing. I took off the blindfold, because I just had to see him. And when I did, I stifled a gasp._

_“I wonder who that is.”_

_He was looking down at the ground, hand rubbing his temple. I figured some of Sora’s memories were going into him._

_And then he looked up at the sky, and I thought I was going to combust then and there._

_He had golden blonde spiky hair that seemed to radiate sunlight. His eyes were a deep cerulean blue, not unlike Sora’s. And when he chuckled and shook his head, that little smile he gave off caused my heart to leap out of my chest._

_He was absolutely beautiful._

_He stood there, even as it began to rain and the water soaked through his coat. He clenched his fists and summoned his keyblade, striking the ground a few times out of anger and frustration._

_He looked like a beautiful disaster._

**_I’ve heard, your vision blurs_ **

**_Your stomach turns and you trip over every word_ **

_I wasn’t supposed to be spying on him as frequently as I did. As a matter of fact, I should have been paying more attention to Xion, but I couldn’t resist. He only had so much time left._

_He ate ice cream with them, with Axel and Xion. It was after every mission they had that they would sit at the top of the clocktower in Twilight Town and eat sea salt ice cream together. That’s when I would really see him at his happiest. He would laugh, smile, joke, just be at ease._

_But there came days when he would go up to the tower and no one else would be there. He would sit down and eat the ice cream by himself._

_And eventually, it was just only him going. He wouldn’t even bother to bring ice cream. He would just watch the sunset with a small frown on his face._

_So that’s when I started leaving the notes._

_It was always just before he got to the top of the tower. I would leave ice cream with a note each day, and he would smile each time he picked up the small piece of paper and ice cream. After the first couple times, he began to talk to me. I mean, he didn’t know I was there, but I guess it made him feel less lonely, like he was actually talking to another person._

_“Today I saw him again. The boy with the same eyes as mine. He was in my dreams.”_

_Sora. He was talking about Sora._

_“There was also this other boy. One with different eyes than mine. They were brighter. Just by looking at him, I felt this closeness to him. Like he was a friend of mine. It was strange.” He bit his ice cream. “Riku’s his name.”_

_I wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation. I was right there, hiding around the corner of the entrance to the roof, while Roxas told me about … well, me._

_“Sometimes, I see Riku more than I see the other boy. And I feel these weird things. I’m not sure what they are.”_

_Emotions. They were emotions he was feeling. Sora’s emotions. Of happiness, fear, sadness – all because of me._

_“The boy doesn’t look happy at times though. I can see it in his eyes. He looks … what’s the word … sad. Sad and tired.”_

_I stilled at his words._

_“It makes me feel …” He shook his head and laughed. “I was gonna say sad too, but I can’t feel anything, can I?”_

_I wanted to tell him that wasn’t true. From what I had seen, Roxas could feel something. How could he laugh and smile like that? How could he act so genuine if he didn’t have any emotions? And here he was saying that he felt sad because of my pain._

_It was another stab to my heart. Another heavy weight added._

_“You said that I shouldn’t lose faith, in today’s note. I wonder what you mean by that.” He finished off the last of the ice cream. “Lose faith in Axel and Xion? The organization? In Kingdom Hearts?”_

_In yourself, Roxas._

_I so desperately wanted to tell him this, but I couldn’t. So, I left._

_He didn’t return to the clocktower for a while after that._

_It wasn’t until a few weeks later, on the 348 th day that Roxas came to the clocktower one last time. He seemed angry and agitated, but overall, he was just sad. Today’s note only had one word on it, and when Roxas saw it, he looked shocked and a bit … happy._

_Yourself._

_That’s what was written on the note. It was a continuation of the previous one and Roxas seemed to understand this. I chuckled briefly, thinking how if it had been Sora, he wouldn’t have put two and two together._

_“I feel like I know you, or at least I should,” Roxas said with a somber smile._

_Well, he wasn’t completely wrong._

_“You seem to know who I am, but I don’t even know if you’re a Nobody like me or a normal person.” Roxas’ eyes never left the note. “Every time I see the words you wrote for me, I get this weird little jumping feeling, right here.” He gestured to his chest, just where a heart should be. “Like, like I’ve read or heard these words before. It’s funny, isn’t it?”_

_No, it isn’t. Because I can see it now. It’s as clear as day. You do have a heart, and it’s your own._

_Roxas put the note to his chest and looked out at the sunset, smiling. “Thank you.”_

_My heart jumped and dropped at those words. I had given him his last ray of hope._

_Only to take it away a few days later._

_The fight was tough, I’ll give him that. And he beat me the first time._

_Once I got back up, he wasn’t so lucky._

_I had been wearing the blindfold again, but it wasn’t just to hold the darkness back. It was because I couldn’t look him in the eyes as I ripped him away from the life he had created. From his friends._

_From his heart._

_I was so confident that I was strong enough to beat him the first time – that I wouldn’t need to take off the blindfold. I guess fate had other plans in store for me. It really was a cruel punishment._

_I took off the blindfold, and as it slipped off and my eyes slowly opened to meet Roxas’ head on, his expression became one of surprise._

_“Riku?”_

_I didn’t say anything. I did my very best to remain stoic and indifferent to the sound of his voice, to the look on his face, to the slight fear and betrayal in his eyes. If I said anything to him, I probably would have spilled all my emotions to him. If I showed any emotion, I probably would have burst into tears or shown just how vulnerable I really was._

_So, I called on the darkness. I finally gave in._

_Now that I think about it, the blindfold really wasn’t what was keeping the darkness back. I hadn’t been wearing it the whole time I had watched Roxas those days, and nothing had happened to me. As a matter of fact, he had helped keep it back._

_Which is why I had to think of Sora. I was doing all of this for him. This was all for him, for my best friend. I had to bring him back. He deserved to wake up. After all, I had put him through enough already. If anyone deserved to suffer, it was me._

_Which is why the darkness came so easily to me in that moment. I had to push all thoughts of Roxas aside and focus on just how worthless I was – how much I deserved to suffer for what I had done to my friends, to the worlds._

_I was my own undoing in the end._

_Even as I took on Ansem’s appearance and finally captured Roxas, I still retained my heart. I was still me deep inside. And I think it was because of him, because of Roxas._

_And I think that was worse than completely giving into the darkness, for I still remembered him and what I did to him. I had to live with the fact that the thought of Roxas kept me from completely falling into darkness, even though I had just doomed him._

_That was the worst punishment of all._

_Well, I thought it was until he met her._

_Naminé was someone who understood Roxas perfectly. She was a Nobody just like him, and she too had to go back to her other half._

_She understood Roxas’ feelings in ways I never could, no matter how much I wanted to. They both clicked and understood each other. Every time he smiled because of her, every time he called out to her, searched for her, my heart gave a painful lurch._

_I wanted to be the one that made him smile. I wanted it to be me that he called out to. I wanted to be the one that he searched for._

_The second part of my punishment._

_Was I angry? No. Was I jealous? No. It’s weird to say I wasn’t jealous considering I wanted to be the object of his affections, but honestly, I wasn’t jealous of Naminé. I loved her. She was like a sister to me. And at the end of the day, if Roxas was happy, then I was happy._

_Doesn’t mean I couldn’t wish, right?_

**_I felt that same, same rhythm in the same, same rush_ **

_When Roxas finally returned to Sora, I felt empty. I could slowly feel myself slipping further into the darkness. Whenever I felt like I was about to fall in, a pair of cerulean blue eyes would pop into my mind. Eyes that were like Sora’s but unique in their own special way._

_So, when Roxas suddenly came back on Eos, I felt … whole again._

_I wanted to tell him everything I felt for him because I might never get another chance again. This was me getting a second chance, right? But then I remembered that there was someone else that was far better for him, someone that understood him better._

_Someone that hadn’t caused him pain. Someone that made him happy._

_And it hurts to know that he will never look at me the way he looks at her._

“You really do love him.”

Riku nodded, curling up in the pilot’s seat. He pulled the blanket tighter around him, making sure that his face didn’t get out of his phone’s view.

About two minutes into messaging Lunafreya, Riku had decided that he needed to verbally voice his thoughts. So, he had used the app’s video chat feature to talk to the princess. They had been talking for a while. Roxas had gone to sleep by the time the two had decided to converse through video, and Riku, not wanting to be in the same room as the blonde, stayed out in the cockpit.

“Unfortunately.”

Lunafreya shook her head in bewilderment. “Unfortunately? Riku, anyone would be lucky to feel such a beautiful emotion as love.”

Riku scoffed, a teasing smile on his lips. “Everyone talks about how amazing it is, but no one talks about how terrible it can make you feel at times.”

The blonde gave a sympathetic smile. “Love is no easy feat by any means, but the good does outweigh the bad.”

“Even if that involves being in love with someone who doesn’t feel the same way?”

Lunafreya rolled her eyes good naturedly. “You do not know for certain where his heart lies. But yes, it does. Love brings out the best in people and helps them grow. And who’s to say Roxas is your one and only, Riku?”

The silvernette raised a brow. “You’re saying he isn’t?”

“I’m saying he may or may not be.”

Riku threw his head back and groaned. “I hate not knowing what’s gonna come next.”

“On the contrary Riku, not knowing is the best part of love, and life.”

The teen narrowed his eyes at her. “Like I said, it’s terrifying.”

“But exciting. Think about it. If we knew everything that would happen in our lives, then what would be the point of going on?”

Riku sighed. “I guess that does make sense.”

The princess gave him a warm smile. “Now, are you and Roxas still not speaking?”

Riku loudly groaned dramatically again. “Yes.” A small noise that sounded like the shuffling of feet caught Riku’s attention. He turned his head toward the door leading to the beds.

“Something wrong?”

Riku got up from his seat, discarding his phone, and slowly made his way to the door. He pressed a button and the door slid open to reveal a small room with two sets of bunk beds lining the walls. On the left bottom bed, Roxas was sleeping. Riku let out a relieved sigh and went back to his seat, picking up his phone.

“Sorry about that,” he said. “Thought Roxas woke up.”

Lunafreya smirked. “Scared he could have heard our conversation?”

Riku shook his head. “Besides that, I was just worried that he was having another nightmare.”

Lunafreya’s smile softened. “Even though you two are fighting, you still look out for him.”

Riku shrugged. “Of course. He’s my friend. I’d do anything for him.”

“Your heart is true.”

Riku let out a soft chuckle. “Come on Luna. I think my heart is anything but that.”

The princess laughed.

“So how are things over there?”

* * *

Roxas held his breath until the door slid shut. His eyes snapped open and he released the breath he had been holding. It came out shaky.

_That was close._

He had been asleep until a groan coming from outside the door woke him up. He had gotten to his feet in an instant, thinking that Riku might be in some sort of pain, when the groan suddenly stopped at the sound of his feet hitting the floor. He then heard another voice.

“Something wrong?”

It was a female’s voice. But the only people on the ship were him and Riku. Unless the older boy was on the phone …

Which meant that Roxas had to hop into bed quickly or Riku would think that he was eavesdropping on his phone conversation. He had stayed absolutely still when Riku came in. The boy had stayed for a minute. Roxas heard Riku letting out a sigh before leaving the room.

Now, he was relatively curious as to who Riku was talking to at this time of … night? Was there even a nighttime up here?

The blonde slowly got out of bed and pressed his ear against the door, listening intently.

“Sorry about that. Thought Roxas woke up,” he heard Riku say.

_You’re not wrong._

“Scared he could have heard our conversation?” the female asked. She sounded familiar.

“Besides that, I was just worried he was having another nightmare.”

_Worried?_

“Even though you two are fighting, you still look out for him.”

“Of course. He’s my friend. I’d do anything for him.”

Roxas’ eyes widened in surprise.

_But I thought he hated my guts._

“Your heart is true,” the female said.

He heard Riku chuckle. “Come on Luna. I think my heart is anything but that.”

_I disagree._

So Riku was talking to Lunafreya. That was … interesting.

Not that Riku talking to her was necessarily strange, but Roxas assumed that if Riku would ever call someone this late that it would be Sora or even Kairi. They were his closest friends.

Roxas pulled away from the door once Riku started asking how Lunafreya was doing. Riku still cared about him. He still considered him a friend. A small smile spread on the blonde’s face. All hope wasn’t lost then.

After all, Roxas still cared about Riku too.

* * *

Riku was having a nice dream. A really nice dream. Unfortunately, that dream was interrupted by none other than the person that his dream revolved around.

“Riku.”

The teen opened his eyes to see a blurry form of Roxas looming over him. Riku sat up and rubbed his eyes. He heard a small chuckle emitting from the other boy.

“Morning,” Roxas said as he held out a mug to Riku.

The silvernette blinked, staring at the boy, then the mug. After what felt like minutes, he took the mug. “Morning?”

The blonde took a sip from his own mug and sat down at the co-pilot’s seat, right next to Riku. “We’re almost at Radiant Garden.”

Riku nodded, looking down at the coffee in his mug.

Roxas sighed. “Look man, can we just put this aside while we get this done? Once we’re finished there, we can go back to pretending the other doesn’t exist.” He shrugged as if what he said was something to be taken lightly.

Riku looked up at the other boy’s eyes and saw that same pain that they held that time at the top of the clocktower. He really wanted to tell Roxas that they didn’t have to go back to that stupid silence. They didn’t need to keep avoiding each other. He wanted to tell him so badly that he still wanted to be his friend.

But Riku was a coward, so he didn’t.

Instead, he replied with, “Uh … ye- yeah. Sure.”

Roxas seemed to deflate at those words and his expression fell. But just as quickly as that expression came, it went. “Okay.”

The last few minutes of the ride were spent in silence. It was only broken every so often to discuss what would happen once they stepped foot onto Radiant Garden. They would go to Ansem’s lab and meet up with King Mickey there. Their mission at the moment was to help in finding Ienzo and protect the people of Radiant Garden since an unusually great amount of Heartless and Nobodies had appeared recently.

Once they landed and made their way to the castle, Riku prepared himself for what was to come. They would have to stay in the castle for some time while they were here which meant that he was going to be seeing a lot of Roxas being with-

“Naminé!”

“Roxas! Riku!”

Riku looked up to see the blonde petite girl waving at them from the top of the stairs. Riku couldn’t help but smile. She always brought a smile to his face, even if her being with Roxas pained him. He would never trade the friendship he had with her for anything. It was too precious.

She made her way down the stairs while they began to walk up, meeting her halfway. She gave each of them a hug and once she pulled back, she looked at each of them and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?” asked Riku.

“I’m sensing a lot of negative memories coming off you two. Plus, you two don’t look too happy.”

Riku sighed. “Naminé, you said you wouldn’t use your powers on people without their permission.”

She crossed her arms and looked up at him. “I’m not looking through any of your memories. I can’t help if I sense memories surfacing in one’s mind though.” She looked between the two once more. “Are you guys fighting? Is that why I sense negative memories from both of you?”

Riku merely averted his eyes from Naminé while Roxas scuffed the tip of his shoe against the floor. Neither said anything in response to her question, which was all the answer the blonde girl needed.

She shook her head in disapproval. “Come on, I thought you guys were friends.”

“Don’t worry Naminé,” Riku said. “We agreed to not let this get in the way of our mission here.”

“That’s not-” she paused, then sighed. “There’s no getting through the thick skulls of boys.”

Riku chuckled and patted her head. “There really isn’t.”

“Hey, I’m right here!” Roxas said.

“But am I wrong though?”

The blonde boy scowled for a second, then let out a breath. “I guess not.”

“Hey you guys!”

Riku let out an “oof” as the raven-haired girl attacked him in a full-force hug. “Good to see you too Yuffie.” He gave her a light squeeze before she went and did the same with Roxas. The silvernette took a good look around the lab and saw it was just him, Roxas, Naminé, Yuffie, Cid, and Even. “Where’s everyone else?”

“Leon went with the king to handle some Heartless and Nobodies that appeared in the ravine trail. Aeleus and Dilan are out patrolling the town and making sure everyone is safe.”

“Any luck with the computer Cid?”

Cid turned to Riku, still standing in front of the computer. “We’re getting somewhere. Been able to salvage a few files but the data is still corrupt. Gonna take a while to decrypt it and figure out if it’s what we’re looking for.”

When Riku and Roxas had arrived four months ago in Radiant Garden when Ienzo disappeared, the whole lab had been in a chaotic state. Research papers, vials, ingredients and chemicals were either missing or destroyed. The computer had been sizzling and sparking. Cid said it looked as if someone had just poured gallons of water all over the machine. The security cameras had all been destroyed except for one. The footage on this camera could reveal just who took Ienzo, but unfortunately, in order to view it, the computer would have to be completely restored.

“How far along are we?” the teen asked.

“’Bout 57 percent.”

Riku sighed and shook his head. “By the time we figure out what happened, it might be too late.”

“Not necessarily,” Even said as he came up with a stack of files and papers in his arms.

“What do you mean?” Riku raised a brow.

“Last you came … two months ago was it?”

“Yeah. We weren’t able to come last month.”

Even nodded. “The last time you came, the computer was at 14 percent. It reached that percentage in about two months, correct?”

“Yeah …”

“But since last month it has gone up by 43 percent. If it keeps going at this rate, then …”

“The computer may be fully running by the next five weeks.”

“Precisely. And if it increases its speed, it may even be finished before then.”

“Well that’s some good news.”

“Wait,” Roxas said. “How did it suddenly restore itself faster in a short amount of time?”

“Now you’re asking the real questions.”

Everyone turned to see that the voice came from none other than Leon. He was standing at the entrance to the lab and next to him was King Mickey. He stepped in, Mickey following. The king gave a smile to the two teens in greeting.

“You see, when we found that one of the security cameras was still in perfect shape, we just thought that the kidnapper missed it. It’s strange that out of all the cameras they could’ve missed, they missed the most obvious one, but hey, it happens. But after the last time you and Riku came here, we found something else.”

Cid tapped on the computer’s disc drive. “The recovery disc.”

“Recovery disc?” Roxas asked.

Leon nodded. “Last time we had problems with the data on the computer, we had to send Sora, Donald, and Goofy into the computer’s dataspace to repair it. Thanks to the help of Tron, we were able to do that. In order to prevent another event like that from happening again, we created a recovery disc that would be able to repair the computer and retrieve any lost or corrupt data. The disc is even labeled so it’s extremely clear what it is and does. What’s strange is that the disc wasn’t destroyed. As a matter of fact, we found the disc among Ienzo’s things in his room.”

Even put the files and papers down. “Now one may think at first that Ienzo just put it in his room for safe keeping. But why? There was no reason for the boy to take the disc and he couldn’t have possibly known that something like this was going to happen. And even if he did it on the day he was abducted, the kidnapper still would have found it. Which means …”

“That Ienzo didn’t hide the disc,” Riku finished.

“Exactly.”

“So, who did?” asked Roxas.

“Who else do you think?” asked Leon.

Roxas tilted his head in confusion. “The kidnapper?”

Leon nodded. “The kidnapper.”

“But why? Why not just destroy it?”

“Here’s my theory so far. I think that the kidnapper wanted us to find the disc, use it, and view the footage. Why? I don’t know. I do know that it is nearly impossible for the kidnapper to have missed that camera. This room would have been the first one he checked, so why was that the only camera intact the one that showed the abduction? Two, the disc. Like Even said, there’s no other way it could have gotten in Ienzo’s room and remained safe. Three, the computer. Yeah, it’s messed up, but not broken. The kidnapper didn’t destroy the computer which would have been the smart thing to do. Instead, they only just delayed us from using it. And four, the disc drive. They damaged the computer but didn’t even touch the disc drive. They wanted to make sure that that component worked perfectly.”

“You think that they may be on our side?” asked Roxas.

“Like I said, I don’t know what their motive behind leaving all this stuff for us is, and I can’t come to a conclusion just yet.”

“Can’t Naminé track Ienzo through one of his belongings?” asked Mickey.

“I tried,” the girl answered. “But all I get is static. That means he’s either someplace I can’t reach him, or …”

“I refuse to believe that whoever took Ienzo went through all that trouble just to kill him,” Even said.

“I agree. Which means that he’s in a world or plane of existence that restricts powers, including mine.” She looked up at Roxas. “But I can look through your memories, Roxas. That is if you’ll allow me of course.”

“My memories? What good will that do?” the blonde teen responded.

“Ienzo was taken for a reason, right? Maybe that reason lies in one of your interactions with him back in the Organization. Maybe he did something or had some sort of information that was important to someone.”

Roxas nodded. “Alright. You’d have to dig in pretty deep though. I still don’t remember much from the Organization. I only remember the essential things and Axel and … Xion.”

“What can I do to help?” Riku asked, addressing everyone else in the room.

“You can help me look through these to see if anything will give us a clue to why Ienzo was taken,” Even answered, pointing to the pile of files and papers he had been carrying.

“I thought all the research was taken,” Riku said as he took a good portion of files and papers.

“Ienzo is always taking precautions over his research. Not only does he input it into the computer, but he also keeps physical copies for safe keeping and hides them somewhere only he knows.”

“So how did you find these then?”

Even chuckled. “Well, he thinks he’s the only one who knows of his hiding place anyway.”

Riku opened one of the files and began to read. It would be one of many to come.

* * *

_She was aware that someone was carrying her. She could feel the soft fabric of clothes against her and the warmth of someone else’s hands gently holding her._

_The last thing she remembered was Kairi using her light. She was lending it to Sora. It was a great amount too, so great that even she felt it. Next thing she knew, she was ejected out of Kairi’s heart. She saw the redhead fall to her knees in exhaustion and Naminé herself was eventually enveloped by a bright light._

_She opened her eyes and saw a fuzzy image of who was carrying her. She could see a bluish purplish blob which she assumed was the person’s hair. She blinked to try and clear her vision and once she did and saw just who was holding her, she felt something leap in her chest in fear._

_“Oh, you’re awake. I’m glad you’re okay,” the person said._

_Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened._

_“Z- Zexion?” She was trembling a bit._

_The male frowned a bit at the use of the name, but then gave her a soft smile. It was by this smile and his kind eyes that she realized he was not Zexion, but …_

_“Ienzo,” he said. “Although, the last time we saw each other I was Zexion.”_

_Naminé nodded. “I remember.”_

_Ienzo winced as he recalled the memory. She could feel that it was one he preferred not to linger on. Ienzo shook the memory off, quite literally, and stopped walking. He looked up, then down at his hands. Naminé turned her head from his chest to see giant doors of a castle looming over them._

_“You can put me down. I can walk.”_

_Ienzo shook his head. “It’s alright. I’ll just …” He kicked the doors in place of knocking. “There. Someone should come down to open them in a minute or two.”_

_The blonde girl looked up at the doors, then as much around her as possible. “Is this Radiant Garden?”_

_“Yes.”_

_She had figured as much. It would make sense that she would appear here. After all, this was the world where Kairi was born._

_“How did you find me?”_

_“I was in the garden, well, more like passing through the garden. I was on my way to get some sea salt ice cream when I saw you lying unconscious in a bed of-” A small chuckle passed through his lips. “Forget-me-nots.”_

_Now it was Naminé’s turn to laugh. “That seems … fitting.”_

_“I can tell you one thing. I definitely won’t forget this day.” He gave her a smile and at the sound of the doors opening, he stepped inside with her in his arms._

_Naminé had imagined that Zex- Ienzo’s room would be more empty. Instead, when he put her down on the bed and left, saying he’d be right back, she took the opportunity to look around his room. His bed was neatly made in colors of violet and blue, he had countless bookshelves which were filled so much that some books had to be placed in small piles next to them, he had a desk that had piles of papers (research and notes she assumed), and of course a closet._

_It was filled with a lot more things than she would have expected, but it still felt a bit … lonely. It needed something else. It needed …_

_“You don’t have any pictures,” she said once she saw him walk into the room._

_Ienzo paused, a bit confused at first, then continued his pace. “You’re right. I don’t.” He walked to the desk, made a face at the papers covering it, then placed a small box down on the desk chair. “I’m just going to do a quick check-up to make sure you’re healthy. Is that okay?”_

_The blonde girl nodded._

_“Alright.” Ienzo took out a thermometer from the box. “I’m going to put this under your tongue, so I need you to lift it up for me, okay?” Naminé nodded and did as she was told. It felt funny to have something sticking under her tongue. It was a bit uncomfortable if she was being honest, but she knew it wouldn’t be for long. “Can I hold your wrist? I’m just going to take your pulse.”_

_She nodded since she couldn’t speak because of the thermometer. He took her wrist in his hand and pulled out a small square device from his lab pocket. He tapped on it a few times while still holding her wrist, then waited for a few seconds. After that, he let go and put the device back in his pocket. The thermometer beeped and Ienzo took it out of Naminé’s mouth, satisfied that her temperature was at an adequate level._

_“What was that?” Naminé asked._

_“This?” the slate haired male pulled out the device. “It’s a gummi phone. I built it a few weeks ago and I’m still testing it out. It allows you to talk to people without being there with them. It also has a few other uses as well but the main one is communication.”_

_Naminé’s eyes lit up. “So, you could even talk to people on other worlds?”_

_“Hopefully. I haven’t tested it for that yet. So far, it’s been able to make calls here on Radiant Garden. I have been wanting to test calling someone else from another world though.”_

_“So why don’t you?”_

_Ienzo took a bottle of water from the box and handed it to Naminé. “In order to do that, I would have to make another gummi phone. That’s what I’m currently working on, creating another gummi phone. Well, that and another project, but that’s not important right now.” He took a seat next to her. “How are you feeling?”_

_Naminé took a sip of water. “I feel fine but different. I’m not really sure how to explain it really.”_

_“Then try.” He gave her a small smile._

_Naminé took a breath and played with the water bottle while she spoke. “When I woke up and saw it was you carrying me, and thought you were Zexion, I felt this jump in my chest. Like, I wanted to run. But once I realized that you weren’t Zexion anymore I felt … calm.”_

_“So you felt scared, but then relief. You were feeling emotions. That jump in your chest, that was probably your heart.”_

_Naminé put a hand to her chest. She felt something there, but it couldn’t be a heart, could it?_

_“Here.” She grabbed Ienzo’s hand and placed it on her chest, just where hers had been a second ago. Ienzo sputtered, but then stopped as he felt the beating of …_

_“A heart. Your heart.”_

_Naminé smiled and reached up to tentatively place a hand over Ienzo’s heart. She felt his beating, just like hers. “You have a heart too.”_

_“We both have hearts. And if my theory is correct, we’ve had them for quite some time.”_

_“I saw something.”_

_“Saw what?” Ienzo asked as he mixed two liquids together in a beaker._

_“I saw fire. Lots of fire.”_

_Ienzo stilled. “Fire?”_

_“And I smelled smoke.”_

_Ienzo put the beaker down and leaned against the worktable. “Wait, so now you **smelled** smoke?”_

_“It was hot. Really hot. And the house was burning. I was scared and wanted to get out. I wanted to get out so bad but … I couldn’t leave them.”_

_“Leave who?”_

_“Mama and Papa. I … I screamed out for them in the fire. Well, actually you did.”_

_“I … I what?”_

_“Earlier today, when I was looking for that book on chemical something that you needed from your shelf in your room, a few books fell out from the shelf. A small photo was among them. It was a photo of you when you were a kid and you were being hugged by a man with dark blonde hair and green eyes and a woman with your hair, only longer, and your eyes. I picked it up and suddenly, I was you, only I felt small and scared. I think … I think I was reliving a memory of yours.”_

_Ienzo shook his head. “That’s not possible. I don’t … I don’t remember my parents. I don’t even know what happened to them.”_

_Naminé bit her lip in thought, then looked up at the slate haired male. “Maybe those memories are locked away. Maybe if I show you what I saw, then it will unlock or awaken other memories that you didn’t know you had.”_

_“You think you can do that?”_

_Naminé shrugged and gave a soft smile. “I certainly can try.”_

_Ienzo took a seat right across from the blonde girl. She placed her hands on the sides of his temples and closed her eyes. She focused on what she had felt, what she had seen, what she had experienced. Then, she focused on sending all those feelings, that memory to Ienzo’s heart. She could feel a certain type of energy, a type of power flowing from her to her fingertips and to Ienzo._

_Once the energy flow lessened and eventually ceased, she pulled away, tears in her eyes from the memory she had to experience again. She saw that Ienzo still had his eyes closed, but tears were falling from them. He took a shuddering breath and slowly opened them to look at her._

_“Ienzo?”_

_“They died in a fire. And I was looking for them.”_

_She placed a hand on his. “Do you remember anything else?”_

_“I remember feeling loved … really loved … by them. They loved me and I loved them. That’s all I remember so far.”_

_Naminé sighed, disappointed. “I see.”_

_“But,” the male said. “There’s something there, something lying underneath the surface. I think with time, I may remember more. And it’s all because of you.” He got out of his seat and hugged the girl tightly. “Thank you Naminé.”_

_She hugged him back just as tightly. “You’re welcome.”_

_And that was the day that Naminé found out that her powers were evolving._

_It wasn’t until a couple weeks after that event that Naminé had her first nightmare, only it wasn’t really hers per say. She was reliving the fire, Ienzo’s fire. Then, the burning house switched to the lab, only there was a man with silver hair and yellow eyes in front of her. He had a sickening smile and an evil glare in his eyes._

_“Poor little Ienzo,” the man said. “No parents. And now Master Ansem has no faith in your ideas.” He patted her- Ienzo’s head. “Don’t worry. Once this is over, he will believe in them.”_

_And then, she closed her eyes as she saw the man strike at her. She felt an overwhelming pain in her chest. It hurt so bad and yet, all she could feel was fear. Fear not for her, but for Ienzo. This was a memory he was reliving right now._

_She couldn’t help but scream out his name in worry, in fear. She screamed and screamed until she felt a pair of hands grab her arms and shake her._

_“-né. Naminé wake up!”_

_She sat up quickly, breathing rapidly and sweating. She saw none other than Ienzo looking down at her with wide concerned eyes. She sat on her knees and reached up to hug him._

_“You were reliving another memory. I felt it. I saw it.”_

_“You did?” He wrapped one arm around her and placed another one on her head, stroking her hair in what he hoped was a soothing and comforting manner._

_She nodded. “I felt when that man-” A sob broke out of her._

_“Shhh. It’s okay Naminé. I’m here. I’m okay. No need to be scared.”_

_“But- but you were so little and- and you didn’t deserve wh- what happened to y- you.”_

_Ienzo sat down on the bed, resting against the headboard, and pulled the girl in his arms. He held her to his chest as she cried. Then, all of a sudden, he began singing to her softly until she fell asleep. It was a song that he felt like he had heard many times before, a song that became familiar to him. He sang it without knowing why he knew it. He just did. Perhaps it was a song that his mother had sung to him as a child. Yes, that was it. That felt right. It was her song for him._

_And now, it was for Naminé._

_They both fell asleep, their hearts beating in sync._

_“It’s getting a bit easier,” Naminé said as she pulled her hands away from Ienzo’s temples._

_“That’s good. Don’t push yourself too hard though,” Ienzo said as he sat up. “What were you able to see this time?”_

_Naminé gave a sly smile. “I saw you as a kid again, only this time you were giving Even and Ansem the silent treatment for not giving you any sea salt ice cream.”_

_Naminé had been learning to control her evolving powers for quite some time already. She learned that she was able to sense people’s memories. She and Ienzo agreed that it would be intrusive to enter one’s memories without their permission, so he had helped her suppress the memories of others. They were still working on completely blocking out other’s memories, for she could still sense the emotions coming off them. Touching objects belonging to others was another tricky problem that they were able to fix. When Naminé touched the belongings of others, she would get flashes of their memories. Ienzo quickly came up with a solution for this._

_“Just don’t focus on the object. Take it, but don’t think about what it means or signifies. Just take it as another inanimate object,” he had said._

_What really needed work was Naminé’s ability to see other people’s memories. Ienzo would sit with her weekly and let her go through his childhood memories that were slowly coming back to him. It was her job to find the ones that were resurfacing._

_“The more we practice, the easier it’ll be for you to locate a memory,” Ienzo had said._

_Now, as she watched Ienzo cover his face in embarrassment from the memory she had seen, she felt proud of herself. She was able to help him recover precious memories that had been locked away in his mind for heaven only knows what reason._

_She laughed. She laughed at Ienzo’s silliness, she laughed at her progress, she laughed because she was happy. She was happy._

_Yes, she was happy._

****

**_And I’ve seen, what love can mean when_ **

**_Someone believes in you more than you ever could_ **

_A few months later, Sora, Riku, Roxas, and Kairi visited. Word had finally gotten to them that Naminé was back. Sora had apologized many times for not coming earlier and regaled her with the tale of their hectic journey in Eos. Naminé had laughed and said it was fine, for she understood that they had been stuck on another world without any communication to others._

_In turn, she told them all about Radiant Garden and her powers. She spoke about Even, Aeleus, Dilan, Leon and the gang, and especially Ienzo._

_It wasn’t until they were about to leave that things became a little awkward._

_“Naminé, the thing is, we came here mostly to take you home,” Roxas said with a kind smile._

_Kairi jumped up in excitement. “Yeah! I can’t wait to show you the island. You’re gonna love it!”_

_“There’s plenty to do there,” Riku said._

_“And the best part is that we’ll get to see each other every day!” Sora exclaimed._

_Naminé’s heart stopped for a split second. Their smiles and excitement were so sincere, and it was all because of the thought of her going home with them. That was where she belonged, wasn’t it? Wasn’t that where she was meant to go? If so, why didn’t it feel that way to her?_

_Home. When she thought of home, she thought of this town and Ienzo. She thought of sea salt ice cream in the gardens. She thought of pulling Ienzo after hours of work in the lab to take a stroll and clear his mind. She thought of nights when she couldn’t go to sleep, so he would sing a song he claimed his mother would sing to him. Home was here. This was home to her. How could she leave this place? How could she leave Ienzo?_

_“I’m sorry, but I can’t go home, because I’m already here.”_

_The four looked at her a bit confused at first, but then understanding crossed Riku’s face. “I see.”_

_Kairi stepped up to the girl and held her hands. “That’s okay. Wherever you want to be, as long as you’re happy. That’s all that matters.”_

_“Yeah. If you feel that this is home to your heart, then that’s great,” Sora said with a smile._

_Roxas stood where he was. He had a contemplative look on his face. Then he asked, “Why is this home to you?” He didn’t sound angry, rather disappointed. He didn’t sound unkind. He was curious._

_“It just is. I’ve been here for a good while and I’m used to it.”_

_“From my experience,” Kairi said, “Home is a person, not a place. So, who made this place feel like home for you?”_

_This seemed to catch Roxas’ interest._

_Naminé smiled. “Ienzo.”_

_“Ienzo? That’s … interesting,” Riku said._

_“He’s the first person that made me feel like I’m deserving of a heart. He feels like … family.”_

_Kairi squeezed the blonde’s hands. “Then you should hold on to that and never let go. Family is important and something you always want to keep in your heart.”_

_Riku patted Naminé’s head. “Just know that if you ever change your mind, you’re always more than welcomed to the islands.”_

_Naminé nodded. “Thank you.” She looked at Roxas to see that he had a somewhat crestfallen expression. She stepped up to him and held one of his hands in both of hers. “Roxas.”_

_He looked up at her words. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice soft. “I’m just really gonna miss you.” His cheeks had a slight pink tint to them when he said this._

_Her heart lurched in her chest. She always felt something like this when she saw Roxas. He made her feel special, made her feel complete. It was a strong feeling that took over, but she wasn’t exactly sure what it was. What she did know was at this moment, she really wanted to be closer to Roxas, so she did the only thing she could think of doing._

_She hugged him._

_She felt the blonde boy pull her impossibly closer and hold her tightly. She laid her head against his shoulder, feeling a sense of peace and … something else, wash over her._

_She felt a bit sad when Roxas’ arms let go of her waist, but he only did that because Sora complained that the blonde boy was hogging all the hugs._

_After they said their goodbyes and assured her that they would visit, the four went on their way back to the islands. Naminé went inside looking for Ienzo. She checked the lab, his room, the dining room, every room in the castle that she could think he would go to, but alas she couldn’t find him. That meant that there was only one other place he could be, and that was the gardens._

_She stepped outside and took a breath, taking in all the sweet floral scents surrounding her. She didn’t have to walk too far to find him. He was perched on the grass by the bed of forget-me-nots that he had found her in when she first arrived in Radiant Garden. He was looking through one of her favorite art books._

_“Ienzo?”_

_The slate haired male looked up surprised and put the book down quickly and got up. “Naminé? What are you still doing here? I thought you were going with Sora and the others.”_

_Naminé shook her head. “I want to stay here, with you.”_

_Ienzo furrowed his brows in confusion. “I really thought you would have gone with them, especially because of Roxas.”_

_“Why Roxas?”_

_He chuckled. “You love him, don’t you? You talk about him quite a bit and the way you looked at him when he stepped out of the gummi ship told me everything.”_

_“Love … is that what this feeling is?”_

_“I believe so. There are different types of love though. You can love anyone, as in caring for them deeply, but there is also romantic love which is a bit different and is usually directed toward one person. In your case, that would be Roxas.”_

_Naminé blushed and smiled. “Then yes, I love Roxas.”_

_Ienzo smiled and nodded. “So why did you decide to stay?”_

_Naminé thought over the question for a few seconds, then looked up at him with purpose. “Because I love you.”_

_Ienzo’s breath hitched in his throat. He knew what the girl meant. She loved him in the way a sister would love a brother or perhaps even a father. She loved him in the same manner that he loved her._

_He pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around her small frame and placed a kiss on her hair. He wanted to cry because for the first time in a long time, someone loved him back. He held back his tears though and said in a shaky voice, “I love you too.”_

_In this moment, their hearts felt full. She didn’t know how long they stayed like that, embracing each other. Ienzo had been the one to pull away, giving her the brightest smile she had ever seen._

_“Why don’t we go get some ice cream?”_

_Naminé laughed. “I’d love that.”_

_And so they did, and talked for hours on end about anything and everything. It was absolutely perfect._

_How was she to know that it was only a matter of time before he was separated from her?_

* * *

“You alright Naminé?”

Naminé blinked up at the blonde boy sitting across from her. They had gone to the lounge for someplace quiet to try and unlock some of Roxas’ hidden memories. She realized that she must have spaced out once they sat down.

“I’m sorry. I’m just …” she paused, trying her hardest to keep tears at bay. “I’m really worried. Actually, I’m terrified. I just want to find him. That’s all I want right now.”

Roxas reached a hand and wiped a tear that had escaped and slid down her cheek. He left his hand there. “We will find him and when we do, he’s going to be okay. You’ll see.”

Roxas studied her face and his heart dropped. There were dark circles around her eyes, probably due to a lack of sleep, and her eyes were red and puffy, most likely from crying.

He sighed. “Nami, I thought we talked about this.”

“About what?”

“You’re exhausted. You’re not taking care of yourself.”

“Well I’m sorry Roxas but there are bigger matters at hand than whether or not I’m sleeping or eating properly!”

He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Not to me there isn’t!”

There was silence for a moment in which they stared at each other, Roxas with determination and Naminé with shock. He then released his grip and shook his head.

“Your well-being comes first, okay? And I’m sure that Ienzo would agree because he cares about you. He wouldn’t want you to be exhausting yourself.”

Naminé let out an exasperated breath. She let her head fall against Roxas’ shoulder. “I know he wouldn’t. I’m sorry.”

Roxas rubbed her back. “It’s okay. Just promise me you’ll take better care of yourself, okay?”

“Mmhm.”

He chuckled. “I’m guessing you’re gonna start by catching up on sleep?”

“Mmm.”

“Let’s at least get you to your room.”

Naminé shook her head. “Can’t sleep by myself. Bad dreams. Plus, you’re comfy and warm.”

Roxas laughed. “You must be _really_ tired. At least let me move you to the couch. Then you can sleep on me all you want.” Roxas’ face reddened at his words. Luckily, Naminé was still leaning against his shoulder so she couldn’t see the embarrassment evident on his face. She only nodded in response. He got up and lifted her the slightest bit just to slide her over to the couch. Once Roxas sat down, Naminé rested her head against his chest. Roxas stilled, his hands hovering over her sleeping form.

**_Got that same, same feeling from the same touch_ **

**_It’s like a wildfire growing ‘tween my head and my heart_ **

“Thank you, Roxas.”

“For what?” he asked, snapping out of his surprised state and wrapping his arms around her, holding her gently.

“For caring about me.”

“Oh Nami, you don’t have to thank me.” He placed a kiss on her hair. “I’ll always be there for you. Always.”

_Because I love you._

**_I can only wonder why I can see in color without you_ **

**_And I don’t wanna try cause I see how the colors surround you_ **

**_You light up the dark in me_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Through Glass is one of my favorite songs about love. It's very simple yet the lyrics describe exactly the different things one feels when they love someone, whether it be romantic or familial/friendly love, and I thought it was perfect to describe the different types of love in this chapter for both Riku and Namine.  
> Once again, if any of you want to reach out to me, my tumblr and discord are down below.  
> Stay safe everyone! Sending lots of love to you and your families! <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf%E2%80%9D>Discord</a>%20%20%0A%0A<a%20href=)


	8. Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *plans to update more because classes are online now  
> Professors: *assign a bunch of projects that are all due on the same week  
> Me: *explodes
> 
> After a very stressful semester, I was finally able to finish this chapter. I admit, I did have a lot of writer's block with this one just cause I didn't know how to detail it. I have this whole fic planned out but writing out the little details and making it sound good and understandable is a completely different thing, but I did it! This is a lengthy chapter and will probably give you more questions than answers XD
> 
> I hope y'all enjoy it!
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“This is just part of growing up, a little adventure, a little rebellion. That’s good. Healthy even.”_

\- Flynn Ryder, _Tangled_

“I fail to see what is so snuggly about this establishment,” Ignis said as he stepped into the tavern.

Gladio took a good look around and grinned. “Seems pretty okay to me.”

“That’s cause you were basically born here big guy,” Prompto said.

“So what do you think, Blondie?” Flynn asked and Prompto had to resist the urge to turn at the nickname, realizing that the man was addressing Rapunzel.

Sora saw that the girl seemed rather scared. Her eyes were wide and she was wielding a frying pan like a weapon. “I think she’s pretty freaked out Flynn.”

Flynn feigned surprise at Rapunzel’s expression and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Say Blondie, the kid’s got a point.” He began to lead her to the door. “Maybe we should just take you back home.” Unfortunately, a man stepped in their path.

“Hold on there. You’re that wanted scumbag, aren’t ya?” the man accused.

Sora and the gang turned to give Flynn an annoyed look. Flynn, caught off guard, just shrugged. “Oh come on! I was gonna tell you guys … eventually.”

“What’s it to you?” Gladio stepped up.

The man laughed. “I don’t think you understand just how much this thief here is worth. He ain’t goin’ nowhere.” The man pointed at another who had a hook for a hand. “Make sure he doesn’t leave. I’m gonna call the guards.” And with that, the man left.

Flynn rolled his eyes. “This is ridiculous. I mean, that isn’t me!” He pointed to the wanted poser that clearly depicted him, only with a much larger nose.

Donald screamed in frustration. “That’s it! We’re leaving whether you like it or not!” As the mage began to walk to the door, two other men blocked his path, pulling out their swords. This further angered the duck. “If it’s a fight you want, it’s a fight you’ll-”

“Wait!” Rapunzel yelled. Now all eyes were on her. “Look, we don’t want to cause any trouble, honest. We just want to go see the floating lights-”

“Lanterns,” Flynn corrected.

“If you correct me one more time, I’ll just let them have you.”

Flynn held his hands up in surrender.

“Anyway,” she continued, “it’s always been my dream to see the floating lights and he’s the only one that can get me there.” The room was silent. “Please! Haven’t any of you ever had a dream?!”

The man with a hook for a hand stepped up to her, wielding an axe. He held it up high and then said, “I had a dream once.” He threw the axe at the bard, who began playing music.

What happened next was extremely confusing for Sora and the gang. Suddenly, everyone was breaking into song, well everyone except them. Everyone else was singing about the different dreams they each had. Even Flynn had been forced to join in.

Prompto couldn’t help but let out a small laugh at the display. Here was a girl who knew nothing and yet so much about the world, bringing people together in an unusual place. All this singing of dreams had him thinking about his own dream. What did he want?

_Well that’s easy. I want to find Noct._

He frowned. That wasn’t really a dream, was it? Yeah, he wanted to find Noctis, but what then? What more did he want? What did he want with all his heart?

_What I want is to stay with Noct forever. I want to have a future with him. I want to-_

He blushed at the next thought that suddenly popped up in his head.

_I want to get married and … and have a family one day. I want us to be happy and to never worry about any of this stupid darkness stuff ever again. I want to wake up next to him every day. I want to make him smile and laugh. I want to be there with him through everything, the good and the bad. That’s what I want._

“Prompto?”

The blonde turned his head to see that it was Goofy that addressed him. “What?”

“We gotta skedaddle. The guards will be here any minute.” He pointed to the back of the bar where an underground entrance opened up.

Prompto wondered when that got there but realized that during his little daydream the men had probably agreed to help them. He followed Goofy and they made their way through.

* * *

After being chased by royal guards, witnessing a rather interesting fight between Flynn and a horse, and nearly drowning until Sora realized he had the power of the keyblade and got them out of that stupid flooded mine with a single hit, everyone was about ready to pass out.

“Flynn, what the heck did you do to get the royal guards and a freaking horse to hunt you down?” Sora asked as he tried to regain his breath from nearly drowning. They were all lying on the grass, staring up at the sky, giving themselves a few more minutes of rest before they had to make tracks again.

“I might have stolen the lost princess’ tiara,” the man answered.

Sora sat up instantly. “You what?!”

Prompto raised his arms to the sky in exasperation. “What the hell man?!”

“Hey now, we can’t all be fat cats!”

Sora furrowed his brows in confusion. “Fat cats?”

Ignis sighed as he sat up. “He’s referring to the wealthy, Sora.”

“Ohh. Wait, why does it have to be cats?”

Flynn shook his head and stood up, everyone else following. “We should keep moving. Probably find a place to set up camp.”

“Hell yeah!” Gladio cheered.

Rapunzel gave a questioning look. Prompto just shrugged his shoulders and said, “He always gets excited over camping. It’s his thing.” 

Sora walked by the advisor. “But Ignis, why cats?”

“Because it has to be cats, Sora,” Ignis responded.

“Yeah but why can’t it be dogs, or birds, or turtles!”

“I don’t think turtles can get fat.”

“Yeah they can! Watch! I’ll find a fat turtle and then you’ll feel stupid.”

“Oh boy.”

Sleeping under the stars would have been nice if Sora could actually fall asleep.

There was something eerie about the night. The wind was cold but steady and nonstop, as if preparing for something. The leaves on the trees and the bushes kept rustling. This might be soothing to everyone else, but to Sora, he was on edge.

Something just didn’t feel right.

He got up slowly so he wouldn’t wake up the others and took a quick look around the campsite. Everyone was sleeping. No one was missing. That gave the boy a bit of relief, but he still couldn’t shake off the weird feeling he had.

Suddenly, he heard a disturbance in the wind, one that he had heard a great deal of times before. He walked past a cluster of bushes and summoned his keyblade. He kept walking until he was a good distance away from the camp.

“You can come out now. I’m all alone,” he said.

A figure stepped out of the shadows and as it came into the light, Sora saw that it was a man with pink hair wearing a black coat.

Sora’s grip on his keyblade tightened. “Marluxia.”

The man smirked. “So, you do remember me. And here I thought I was going to have to introduce myself to you all over again.”

“Shouldn’t you be, you know, human?”

Marluxia played with the small flowers on a nearby bush. “Who says I’m not?”

This confused Sora. “What do you mean?” As he looked closer at the man’s face, he noticed that his eyes were … “Yellow.”

Marluxia smirked. “Are the pieces starting to click yet?”

“But … but Lea and Ienzo, and-”

Marluxia waved a hand in the air. “Please, their hearts were too weak to be chosen.”

“No, their hearts were too strong to give into the darkness, just like yours has.”

“No matter which way you look at it, I hold unbelievable power.”

“Over flowers.”

The pink-haired male raised a brow. “Flowers that almost killed you in Castle Oblivion.”

Sora rolled his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Now, now. That’s a bit personal.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “I’ll tell you what. You tell me what you desire, and I’ll tell you what I want.”

Sora squinted at him. “What game are you playing at?”

“Just a trade-off. You want to know what it is that I want, right?”

Sora loosened his grip on the keyblade. “You wanna know what I want? I want for you Organization idiots to leave us and all the worlds alone!”

Marluxia tutted and shook his finger. “That’s not what I mean and you know it, Sora. What does your heart truly desire?”

Sora glared at the man and clenched his fists. He knew the answer to that question but was he really going to give Marluxia the satisfaction of telling him?

_I have to. I need to know what he’s doing here._

Sora let out a long breath of exasperation. “Kairi. I … I want Kairi.”

Marluxia’s smirk grew. “What do you mean by that?”

The brunette clenched his fists even tighter. “I want to hold her, to kiss her, to …” His face reddened. “… touch her. I want to love her. I want to be her one and only.”

Marluxia circled around the teen. “My, my Sora. Such passionate desires I see.”

“Alright. I told you what I want, now tell me what you want.” Sora tensed up instantly as he felt a pair of hands on his shoulders from behind him.

“What I want, Sora,” Marluxia said as he spoke into the boy’s ear, “is my sister.”

“You have a sister?”

“Of course! Although, she went missing a long time ago.” Marluxia pulled away and clapped his hands. “But enough about that. Onto the reason why we’re both here.”

Sora’s eyes widened. “You’re looking for the Princesses of Heart.”

“And behold, you found her for me.”

Sora blinked, baffled at first. Then, he gasped in realization. “Rapunzel.”

“I’m surprised you couldn’t tell earlier.”

“If you know she’s one of them, why didn’t you take her already?”

“Those aren’t my orders. I was told to make sure she’s safe on this world.”

Sora grit his teeth. “You leave her alone.”

Marluxia held his hands up in surrender. “I’m only here to make sure the events of this world, the story of this world, plays out.”

“So you just came here to tell me this?”

Marluxia laughed. “Oh no. I came here to stall.”

“Stall?” Sora jumped and turned around. “The camp. Rapunzel!” He made a mad dash for the campsite, leaving Marluxia alone in the woods.

“That boy really is something special. It’s a shame, really.”

* * *

Rapunzel took a few calming breaths as she hid the satchel behind a small boulder. She didn’t know how her mother had found her and she didn’t know why she let her stay here in the woods. She thought over her mother’s words about Flynn and her friends. Especially Flynn.

_She’s just trying to scare you, that’s all. She’s just worried and looking out for you. She just wants you to be cautious._

She stood up and exhaled. She turned around to find Sora coming out of the bushes. The teen stopped and tilted his head in confusion.

“Rapunzel? What are you doing up? Everything okay?”

She noticed he was breathing a bit heavily, as if he had been running. He looked a little scared as well.

“Yeah. I was just … I couldn’t sleep, that’s all.” She took a few steps toward him. “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. I just heard something in the woods. Turned out to be nothing.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Well, we should probably get to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow, right?”

The blonde smiled. “Right.”

It took some time for the both to fall asleep, for they knew that each of them was hiding something.

* * *

Prompto woke to the sound of screaming. He immediately stood up and searched around frantically for the source of distress. When he did find the source, he became very confused.

He saw Flynn being dragged by a white horse while Rapunzel was trying to pull him by the arms. Prompto ran to them, ready to help when Rapunzel and Flynn toppled over as the horse was left with Flynn’s boot. The horse spit out the shoe and was about to head to the duo. Prompto stepped in front of them and held out his hands.

“Whoah there buddy! It’s alright! We’re not gonna hurt you, okay?”

The horse glared at Prompto but the freckled blonde was not deterred. He took a breath and took a step toward the horse. He stroked the horse’s mane and to his surprise, the steed seemed to like it. Prompto smiled and noticed that the horse was pretty decorated for just any ordinary horse. He looked at a gold medal around the horse’s neck that seemed to have something inscribed on it.

“Is that your name? Maximus?”

The steed neighed in approval, causing Prompto to giggle. Rapunzel stood next to Prompto and scratched Maximus’ chin. “Aww, you’re just a big sweetheart!”

“Who? Blondie Number Two or the horse?” Flynn asked in annoyance as he was still on the floor and missing a boot.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes at the jest. “Look,” she said as she stared into Maximus’ eyes. “I need you to not get him arrested just for today. Please?”

“We’re trying to give her the best birthday celebration today,” Prompto added.

Maximus sighed and held out a hoof toward Flynn. The brunette got up and looked at Rapunzel and Prompto. “Are you kidding me?”

“Please Flynn?” Rapunzel pleaded as she looked at the man with big vulnerable eyes.

“Yeah, please?” Prompto joined in, giving off the same eyes.

Flynn shook his head and sighed. “It’s really creepy that both of you can do that.” He walked up to Maximus and shook the steed’s hoof, snarling a bit in the process.

“Sorry we were gone. We woke up early to- What’s with the horse?”

Everyone turned to see Gladio, followed by Ignis, Donald, and Goofy emerging from some bushes.

“You guys were gone?” Prompto asked as he just realized that the only one still sleeping was Sora. How he was able to sleep through all of that, the blonde didn’t know.

Ignis scoffed. “Nice to see that we are always on your mind.”

“We cleared the rest of the way so it should be smooth sailing now,” Goofy said.

“Is that goofball still sleeping?” Donald asked.

Rapunzel smiled. “You mean Sora? Yeah, he’s still asleep. He didn’t really get much last night.”

“What do you mean?” Ignis asked.

The blonde girl shrugged. “I noticed that he was still awake when we were all asleep.”

“So you were up too?” Gladio asked.

Rapunzel froze and tried to think of a response. Luckily, she didn’t need to, for Maximus whinnied. “Oh, guys, this is Maximus. He’s gonna help us today.”

“A … horse?” Ignis asked.

Maximus seemed to take offense to Ignis’ tone, for he made a disgruntled noise. Gladio chuckled and patted the advisor on the shoulder. “You’re really questioning help from a horse when we’re hanging out with a duck and dog?”

“So, there’s none of those Heartless guys on the way to town?” Flynn asked as he put on his boot.

“Shouldn’t be. We got rid of all the ones that appeared,” the shield answered.

“That’s great! Thank you!” Rapunzel clapped with joy.

“Hyuck! Rapunzel and Prompto sure are similar,” Goofy said.

The blonde male chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck in bashfulness while Rapunzel took Prompto’s free hand in her own.

“Birds of a feather flock together! Let’s go!” And with that, she ran off while dragging Prompto behind her. Flynn ran after them, making sure that they didn’t get lost.

“Shall we wake Sora?” Ignis asked.

Goofy looked at Sora’s sleeping form. “Rapunzel did say that he didn’t get enough sleep. I’d feel kinda bad waking him up.”

Gladio scooped Sora up from the floor. “Maybe Maximus can give us a hand.” The shield walked up to the horse who was eyeing them with caution. “Do you think you could give our friend here a ride?”

“We would greatly appreciate your help,” Ignis added with the utmost sincerity.

After a moment of considering the two, Maximus kneeled slightly, giving Gladio permission to put Sora on his back.

“Thanks. Appreciate it,” Gladio said. He carefully put the boy on the steed and adjusted him in a way so he wouldn’t fall off easily. “I’ll walk by him just to make sure he doesn’t slide off.”

“Let us be off then,” said Ignis.

* * *

Sora opened his eyes to see a dark chaotic sky. He sat up and realized he was on the ground.

“Sand?” he asked to no one in particular as he scooped up a handful of it. It was then that he realized he was on a beach. It wasn’t Destiny Islands though. He had been here before. “Is this Cape Caem?”

He stood up and walked to the shore. He looked around and noticed that a lot of the beach was missing. Debris was flying high up in the air past him.

_The wind is kind of strong._

Only it wasn’t wind. With utter horror, he saw that there was a giant black hole in the sky swallowing up everything the beach, or rather the world had.

_This is just like when the islands disappeared._

He walked down the shore until he saw a figure. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Prompto. The blonde was staring out into the ocean at another figure standing in the water. This figure was holding a hand out to him as the waves loomed over them.

Sora’s breath hitched, seeing the familiarity of the whole situation.

“Prompto, don’t!” Suddenly, an invisible barrier was put up in front of him. “What?” The teen banged against the barrier with his fists, for he couldn’t summon his keyblade. “Prompto! Don’t!”

“It’s useless. He won’t hear you.”

Sora turned around to see a horrific sight. Standing before him was Prompto, but he looked completely different. His skin was a sickly gray with black veins peaking from his gloves. His eyes were a dark bright red, not unlike the eyes from the magitek troopers they had once fought. Where the whites of his eyes should have been, black replaced them. A dark black goo-like substance leaked from his eyes, making it look like tears. He twirled a gun in his hand aimlessly as he looked down at Sora with an expressionless face.

“You’re- you’re not Prompto.”

The person smirked. “Aren’t I? In any case, I’m at least a part of him and you can’t deny that.”

Sora glared at the evil looking Prompto. “You’re wrong! Prompto is good!”

Evil Prompto rolled his eyes. “Always the optimist, aren’t you Sora?” He pointed his gun at the original Prompto. “Look at him. He’s the same as you, willing to do anything to save the ones he cares about.”

“Last I checked, that’s a good thing.”

“Is it? You almost took Riku’s hand once, but something, or should I say someone, saved you from falling into the darkness that consumed him.”

“Someone? Wha-” Sora’s attention was diverted as he saw Prompto running into the water towards the figure who was slowly being engulfed in darkness. “Prom, no!”

“Can you feel it Sora?” Evil Prompto said in the teen’s ear. “Can you feel the hopelessness in this world? The darkness? The destruction?” Sora’s shoulders shook as he watched the scene before him, helpless to do anything. “In the end, darkness always wins.”

As Sora saw Prompto almost grab onto the hand of the figure, his feet left the floor. Sora screamed as he flew in the air and toward the black hole.

“Hey Sora, we’re here.”

Sora woke to Gladio’s voice. To his surprise, he saw that he was lying down on a horse. He slid off and patted the horse. “Who’s this?”

“That’s Max,” Flynn answered. “He’s out to kill me.”

Rapunzel swatted his arm. “He’s helping us evade the guards for the day.”

Sora stumbled as an arm wrapped around his shoulders. “So, any good dreams while you were out?”

Sora looked at Prompto who was smiling brightly at him. The teen looked at Prompto in thought. He felt like he had just spoken to him not too long ago, but he was asleep, right? So he couldn’t have. The brunette smiled back and shrugged. “None that I can remember at least.”

“Well,” Flynn said as he took down a wanted poster on the bridge to the town. “We have time to kill until they do the lantern thing.”

“Really?! What should we do?” Rapunzel asked with glee.

“First, we should do something about that hair of yours. Might get in the way when there’s so many people walking around.”

Ignis rolled up his sleeves and adjusted his glasses. “Allow me. I can braid your hair so it will be much shorter.”

“And I can decorate it!” Prompto added cheerfully.

In a matter of minutes, Rapunzel’s hair was beautifully and intricately braided with various flowers placed in it. She twirled around and laughed. “Wow! Thank you so much!”

“The least we can do for your birthday,” Ignis said.

“Oh, you guys have done more than enough.”

“Well then, I believe we have a birthday to celebrate.”

* * *

Prompto stood off to the side as he watched his friends dance. He smiled as Rapunzel twirled around while Sora dragged Flynn into the dancing circle. Donald and Goofy were doing a poor job at following along with everyone else but still seemed to be having fun. Gladio was standing next to Maximus, feeding the steed apples. He seemed to have taken a liking to him. Ignis was standing next to Prompto, watching along.

The blonde smiled as a pleasant memory hit him.

_They were in the ballroom of the Citadel making sure that the last few preparations for Aulea’s birthday ball were finished._

_“Alright, everything looks good. Now we just need to make sure the music works,” Noctis said._

_“I thought you had live musicians for every ball,” Prompto said._

_“We do, but we also have a backup system just in case.” The raven walked into a small room and not a moment later, a soft light melody began to play._

_Prompto had never heard the song, but he felt like it resonated with him somehow. He hummed along and swayed to the music, unaware that Noctis was smiling and watching him._

_“You know,” Noctis started, snapping Prompto out of his daze and causing him to flush. “Dancing is usually better with a partner.” He held out his hand to the blonde._

_Prompto waved his hands. “I can’t dance.”_

_“Well, lucky for you, I can.” The raven pulled the blonde to him and wrapped an arm around his waist while holding onto his other hand._

_“The great emo prince knows how to dance?” Prompto said with a teasing smile._

_Noctis rolled his eyes. “First off, I’m not that emo, at least not anymore. And second, all royalty has to learn how to dance so that they can sweep their future bride, or in this case, groom, off their feet.” His tone became sultry near the end, sending shivers down Prompto’s spine._

_“But I’m technically not that.”_

_“Not yet.” He smirked at the now red-faced blonde. “So, I better teach you how to dance so you could sweep me off my feet.”_

_Prompto laughed. “You’re so full of yourself.”_

_“It’s one of my best traits.”_

_“Riiight.”_

_Noctis blew a raspberry, causing Prompto to giggle. “So, basic dancing is the simplest thing you will ever learn. All you gotta do is follow my lead. Move your feet with mine.”_

_“Dude, I’m so gonna step on your feet. Like, you’re gonna have to physically remove them by the time we’re done with this.”_

_“Well, that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”_

_And so, they began to dance. It was extremely slow at first and not in sync with the song at all. Prompto did step on Noctis’ feet quite a few times and apologized every time but Noctis only laughed it off. Luckily, Prompto was a quick learner and caught on really fast as to when to move his feet and at what pace. Eventually, they began to dance in tune with the music. Noctis spun Prompto around a couple of times and pulled him in really close just as the song reached a crescendo and sounded extremely beautiful._

_This made Prompto’s heart leap, for he felt the song resonate within him. It had started off very slow and somewhat sad and lonely. It reminded him of how he felt as a child and young teen when he had no one. But then the song changed and sounded hopeful and happy. This reminded him of his friends and of Noctis._

_“What song is this?” Prompto asked._

_“You like it? It’s called Home Sweet Home. Not sure who it’s by though.”_

_Prompto looked at Noctis and smiled._

_“What?” the prince asked._

_Prompto shook his head and placed a soft kiss on the other’s lips. “Nothing. Just like being with you, that’s all.”_

_Noctis smiled back. “Me too.”_

_Prompto rested his head against Noctis’ chest as they swayed to the last bars of the music. He could only think of how fitting the song was because Noctis was his home sweet home._

Prompto’s smile faltered as he continued to watch everyone else dancing. Would Noctis dance with him if he were here? He chuckled at how ridiculous that sounded. If Noctis were with them, there would be no need to be here in the first place.

The chuckle caught Ignis’ attention. “Something funny?”

“Nah. I was just thinking.”

“About Noct I presume.”

“Yeah. I was thinking about the time he taught me how to dance.”

Ignis smiled slightly. “If there is one thing that Noct knows how to do well, surprisingly, it’s ballroom dance.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Why don’t you join in? It might do you some good.”

Prompto shook his head. “It’s alright.”

Ignis hummed. Then, he took a few steps forward and turned to Prompto, extending a hand to him. “Come now. As Noct would say, you can’t leave me hanging.”

Prompto laughed. “Playing the Noct card are ya Iggy?”

“You left me no choice.”

Prompto took his friend’s hand and the two joined the rest of the townsfolk in the dance. Prompto smiled and laughed. He felt happy and a little less stressed. He was so glad that he had good friends by his side to lift him up.

After enjoying the festivities, time flew by and it quickly became nighttime. Everyone except for Rapunzel and Flynn were at the docks waiting for the lanterns.

“So, are we not gonna talk about how that portrait of the princess looks exactly like Rapunzel?” Gladio asked.

“Oh, that’s definitely Rapunzel,” Prompto said as he swung his legs back and forth from his seat at the edge of the dock.

“We can’t meddle,” Donald reminded.

“Is that not what we have been doing?” Ignis asked.

Sora, who was sitting right next to Prompto, turned his head to Ignis. “Confusing right? I’ve learned that we can meddle as long as it deals with Heartless, Nobodies, or any other out of this world stuff. Things that deal with this world, like Rapunzel being the lost princess is something we have to let play out for itself. Can’t upset the natural order too much.”

“I see.” The advisor didn’t look happy though. Neither of them was with this information. It was difficult to not be able to provide the answer to one’s problems.

“Cheer up Iggy,” Gladio said. “I’m sure they’ll figure it out, at least the girl anyway. She seems bright enough.”

“I only worry that she may find out too late.”

“I don’t think she will. She’s more powerful than she knows.” Everyone looked at Sora in confusion. “The other night, I woke up cause I heard something in the woods. Turned out it was Marluxia, an organization member I had fought in the past. He was brought back to be one of Xehanort’s thirteen vessels. He told me that Rapunzel is one of the Princesses of Heart.”

It was silent for a moment. They took in and considered the information they were just told.

“Huh, makes sense,” Gladio said nonchalantly.

“What does he plan to do with her?” asked Ignis, a bit of tension in his voice.

“That’s the weird part. He said he was ordered to make sure she was safe and that the story of this world played out. He was also stalling me for something but I’m not sure what. When I got back to camp Rapunzel was awake, but she seemed a bit nervous, like she was hiding something.”

“Well he couldn’t have been stalling for Rapunzel obviously,” Prompto said. “And there’s only one other person that knows that Rapunzel exists aside from us.”

“Her mom,” Gladio answered.

“You really think the Organization would work with people in other worlds?”

“They’ve done it before,” Sora answered. “They don’t really care about the world order, which makes it weird that they’d want the events of this world to unfold.”

“Why would they tell you their plan?” Goofy asked. “Doesn’t that seem kinda suspicious?”

“You big palooka! Isn’t it obvious?” Donald said.

“They want us to do the complete opposite, that’s why,” Sora answered. “So, we’re just gonna continue with our plan.”

“Okay, but when are we gonna tell her about leaving this world for safety purposes?” Gladio asked.

“Once the evil from this world is dealt with,” Donald answered. “There’s always someone or something in every world that’s the main cause of the Heartless.”

“Like Ardyn?” Prompto asked.

“Yep. Like Ardyn,” Sora responded.

It wasn’t much longer until the first lantern began to float up into the sky. From their perspective, it looked like a small golden orb floating out of the castle in the distance. A few seconds later, hundreds of lanterns floated up, lighting up the night sky. The higher they got, the more they looked like stars.

“Would you look at that. Seems like they got their own too,” Gladio said as he pointed to Flynn and Rapunzel in the small boat. They were holding their own lanterns which they eventually raised into the sky. “Damn, why didn’t we get our own lanterns?”

“Cause Donald didn’t want us to ‘meddle,” answered Sora.

“With all due respect Donald, I do not see how participating in the lighting of the lanterns will tip this world’s balance,” Ignis said. A lantern floated near him and he lifted it back into the sky with the tips of his fingers, a small smile spreading on his face.

“Ah, what do you know?” Donald grumpily said.

Ignis chuckled and continued to watch the lanterns float higher and higher. “I suppose you do have a point.”

They had been so fixated on the lanterns that they didn’t realize that Flynn and Rapunzel had left until Goofy pointed it out.

“I wonder where they went,” Goofy said.

“You think they went to the shore? Where else would they be able to get out of the boat?” Prompto asked.

“Good thinking Prompto. We should check on them,” Ignis said.

Sora stood up and everyone else followed. “Right.”

They began to head out when a dark portal opened before them. A figure stepped out dressed in a black coat. It was Marluxia.

“Well, well Sora. It seems I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting your many friends.”

Gladio stepped forward, summoning his broadsword. “Is this the douche you were talking about?” he asked Sora.

Marluxia smirked. “I already have a nickname. I feel so much closer to you all already.”

Donald marched up and stood next to the shield, readying his wand. “Why are you here?”

Sora was about to voice his suspicions when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He turned and saw Rapunzel walking into the woods with a woman who had black curly hair, a red dress, and a black cloak. He began to take a few steps and call out her name when he was suddenly hit with a heavy floral scent. His vision became cloudy and his eyes became droopy. Before he knew it, darkness clouded his vision.

“Sora!” Prompto called out and ran to the boy. He kneeled and held the boy’s head in his lap, making sure that he didn’t sustain any injuries. “What the hell did you do to him?!”

“My, my, what a temper. Don’t worry. He’s just unconscious,” Marluxia said as if it was nothing important. Now Ignis and Goofy stepped up with their weapons out as well. “What a powerful thing friendship is.” The pink-haired male waved his hand and a pink dust surrounded the group, causing them all to fall unconscious, all except for one.

“I see you’re still awake. And angry.” Marluxia’s smirk grew.

Prompto gritted his teeth and stood up, rage consuming him. “You’re gonna regret that.”

“Will I?” Marluxia sounded unimpressed.

The next few moments were extremely confusing to Prompto, for he didn’t know what was happening, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was what Marluxia had done to his friends. He glared daggers at the man and felt a warmth begin to engulf him. It began in his chest and then spread everywhere. Then, the warmth became overwhelming and his vision went white. He heard a pained scream and suddenly felt extremely exhausted. He fell to the floor and let his body go numb.

* * *

Sora felt something wet and slimy against his cheek. He opened his eyes to see Maximus looming over him. He sat up and wiped his cheek.

“Don’t worry kiddo, your friends got the same treatment,” Flynn said. He was sitting atop Maximus. “Well, Blondie there hasn’t woken up yet.”

Sora sat up straighter at the mention of this. He turned to Ignis and Gladio who were leaning over Prompto’s lying form. “Is he …”

“Relax Sora,” Ignis said. “Prompto is still breathing. I am sure he will wake up any minute now.”

The teen released a breath he didn’t even know he had been holding. Then, another thought hit him. “Flynn, Rapunzel’s in trouble!”

“Yep. Got that from being knocked out and tied to a ship which coincidentally stopped at the guard tower, causing me to go to prison and almost be executed.”

Sora tilted his head in confusion. “Huh?”

Flynn waved his hand. “Long story. Anyway, I need your guys’ help, just in case anymore of those heartless no-peoples show up.”

Sora nodded. “Anything to make sure Rapunzel is safe.”

“Then hop on.” Flynn paused as he looked at the six of them. “Okay, maybe like only some of you hop on and the rest can meet us there.”

“Sora, Donald, Goofy. You three should go with Flynn. Gladio and I shall wait for Prompto to wake up. We shall rendezvous at the tower,” Ignis said.

Sora bit his lip in worry. He didn’t want to leave his friends by themselves in a world they weren’t familiar with. He especially didn’t want to leave Prompto in this state. He touched a hand to his chest and looked at the blonde. He still felt him there, he still felt Prompto in his heart. He was going to be okay.

“Okay. Be careful,” Sora said.

“You as well,” the advisor answered.

And with that, Sora, Donald, and Goofy left with Flynn and Maximus.

As soon as they arrived at the tower, they immediately hopped off Maximus. Flynn made a run for the tower. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were about to follow when a swarm of Nobodies appeared in front of them. They summoned their weapons and took their battle stances.

“Guess this is Marluxia’s way of telling us not to meddle, huh?” Goofy said.

“If it is, it’s not very subtle,” Donald said just as he unleashed thundaga on some of the Nobodies.

Just like that, the battle began.

* * *

“Gladio, you are going to drown him.”

“One more bucket couldn’t hurt.”

“You have already poured five buckets of water over him and he has not woken up.”

“Exactly, which is why the sixth one is gonna do it.”

Gladio was about to dump another bucketful of water over the unconscious blonde when he saw him stir. He stopped and put the bucket down. He shook the gunslinger’s shoulder. “Hey Prompto, you with us?”

Prompto made a disgruntled noise and tried to sit up but failed. Ignis went to him and helped him sit up. “Ugh, I feel like I got ran over by a truck,” he said as he rubbed his eyes.

“What the hell Prompto?” Gladio asked, frustration and worry evident in his voice.

“Guess that dust must have hit me harder or something. It took more time to settle in my system, I guess? It took a bit longer for me to pass out after you guys.”

“The important thing is that you are awake and well for the most part,” Ignis said. “Can you stand?”

“I can try.” Prompto began to stand up but started to fall. Ignis caught him and held him up.

“Gladio, if you will?”

The shield walked up to Prompto and crushed a potion over him. “Should keep you energized for some time.”

Prompto nodded. “Thanks.” He looked around and noticed that it was only the three of them. “Where are the others? Is Rapunzel okay? We need to help her!”

“Relax,” Ignis said. “They went to rescue her. We were waiting for you to wake so we could join them.”

Prompto frowned. “You guys should have gone along. They need all the help they can get.”

“Sorry but that ain’t gonna happen. We weren’t gonna leave you here,” Gladio said as he crossed his arms.

“But Rapunzel is a Princess of Heart and she might help us find Noct faster.”

“I have to agree with Gladio on this one Prompto. There is no way in this world, or any of the worlds for that matter, that we are going to ever leave you,” Ignis said. “Do you really think yourself as less important than others?”

“It’s just that, they’re in danger and Noct is still missing and-”

“And you’re forgetting that you’re our friend too. We’re in this together, got it?” Gladio said sternly.

Prompto looked at his two friends and smiled. They were right. How could he tell them to do that? If it had been the other way around, he wouldn’t have left them. “Got it.”

Gladio nodded. “Besides, if anything happened to you, Noct would have our asses.”

Prompto laughed. “That’s true.”

“Shall we rescue a princess in need then?” Ignis asked.

Gladio chuckled. “You talking about Rapunzel or Noct?”

“Both of course.”

The three of them arrived just in time to see a woman fall out of the tower screaming. Prompto’s breath caught in his throat until he realized that the woman was not Rapunzel but her “mother.” Nearby, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had just finished fighting off the last of the Nobodies.

“You guys alright?” Gladio asked the trio.

“Yup. Nothin’ we couldn’t handle,” Goofy replied.

Suddenly, there was a change in the air. No one knew how to explain it, but something just felt different. There was no sound, no movement. The birds had stopped chirping, the wind had stopped blowing, the leaves had stopped rustling. Time itself had frozen.

The only sound and movement that was present came from Gothel’s cloak that was on the grass. Darkness began to engulf it. It rose up from the ground as if it was standing on its own. The darkness disappeared to reveal a shadow of Gothel. Her shadow had yellow glowing eyes, not unlike those of the Heartless, and dark deadly elongated claws protruding from her fingertips. Her hair was floating around her in wisps, making her look as if she was underwater. She gave off a sinister smile, revealing a set of extremely sharp teeth.

“Is that … Rapunzel’s mother?” Ignis asked, slight worry in his tone.

“No,” Sora said. “That’s her Heartless.”

Gothel’s Heartless let out an ear-piercing shriek. Roots erupted from the earth and blocked off their only exit.

“Guess we’re not leaving here without a fight.” Gladio held his broadsword out in front of him.

“As if that’s a problem for you.” Ignis readied his daggers.

Prompto twirled his gun aimlessly. “This’ll be a piece of cake. Right Sora?” He looked at the boy who summoned his keyblade. “Please tell me it’ll be a piece of cake or I think I might cry.”

“If we work together, it should be,” Sora said. He ran toward Gothel’s Heartless, everyone following. He swung his blade at her, but she merely disappeared in a wisp of dark smoke. “I hate when they can teleport.” She reappeared behind Goofy. “Goofy, look out!” But it was too late. Gothel swiped her claws at Goofy, striking him. The force sent him flying until he hit the floor.

Prompto ran to him and helped him up. He crushed a potion over Goofy. “You okay?”

“I am now. Thanks.”

Ignis threw his daggers at Gothel but she only teleported once more. When she reappeared, Gladio tried to strike her but it was no use. Donald casted thundaga on her, landing a successful hit. She screeched in pain and seemed to be seizing up.

“Alright! Now’s our chance!” Sora exclaimed.

Everyone surrounded the Heartless and executed a group attack. While they were able to harm her a great deal, it was still not enough. Gothel struck out with her claws in a circular direction, pushing everyone away from her.

Gladio grunted in pain. “What the hell?”

“What’s wrong?” Prompto asked.

Ignis stood up with a slight struggle. “It seems like her claws are poisonous.”

“Really? I’m not feeling anything.”

Sora stood up, wincing a bit. “Poison from dark creatures affects everyone differently depending on the strength of their heart.”

Goofy and Donald stood with a little more difficulty than Sora but not as much as Gladio or Ignis. Donald aimed his wand at Gothel. “Hit her with magic! It’s too fast for her to dodge!”

“Fast huh? This might be a baddie I have an advantage over,” Prompto said.

“I suggest that Gladio, Goofy, and I distract her. Then Sora and Donald can attack her with magic while Prompto can shoot at her,” Ignis said.

“Not to be rude or anything but you guys don’t look so hot right now.”

“We’ll be fine,” Gladio said. “Just hurry up and kill the damn thing.”

Gladio, Ignis, and Goofy ran up to Gothel and began to strike at her, knowing that she would dodge every time. As they fought, Donald struck her with thunder magic since it was a spell that came from above and was therefore undetectable. Sora did the same, causing Gothel to screech in pain. This gave Gladio, Ignis, and Goofy an opening to attack her which they took. Unfortunately, their attacks became slower, for they were becoming weaker by the minute. Gothel saw this and slashed at the three once more, causing them to fall to the ground.

“Shit!” Prompto took aim and fired his gun at Gothel multiple times. Hit was able to hit her in the shoulder, arm, and stomach. She screamed loudly and looked at her attacker. She stalked toward him but Prompto took aim again. Sora struck her with a thunder spell, causing her to seize up while Donald cast a blizzard spell which made her freeze in place. Prompto took the shot, the bullet hit the Heartless right in the chest.

Gothel screamed in agony as cracks spread from her chest throughout her whole body. Light shined from the cracks and eventually she disintegrated.

Prompto dropped to a knee, not out of exhaustion but out of the pent-up nervousness and tension he had been holding in throughout the fight. “Is she dead?”

“Yeah. She’s gone,” Sora replied as he caught his breath.

Prompto sighed in relief. “Fuck yeah!” Then he remembered that his friends were still hurt. “Oh shit! What about-”

“Don’t worry. The poison is gone since Gothel is too. But they’ll still need a healing spell,” Donald replied.

“Alright. That’s good.”

“Do you need one too? You look exhausted,” Sora said.

“It’s just Marluxia’s drug dust. I had a potion earlier, but it only lasted so long.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.” Sora smiled and casted cure on Prompto. Instantly, the blonde felt much better.

“Thanks.”

Sora and Donald proceeded to cast healing spells on Gladio, Ignis, and Goofy. They were back to full strength in no time.

“Alright. Now to make sure Rapunzel and Flynn are okay,” Sora said. He was about to climb up the tower when he saw that two figures were already making their way down. It was none other than Rapunzel and Flynn. “You two are alright!”

“Well, now we are,” Rapunzel giggled as she finished climbing down.

“Rapunzel, your hair!” Sora saw that the girl’s hair was short and brown.

She reached a hand up to her short locks. “Flynn saved me at the cost of my hair.”

“And Rapunzel saved me. You know, after I died,” Flynn said nonchalantly.

“Wait, what?!”

Rapunzel laughed. “It’s going to take time getting used to short hair though.”

“Rest assured that you still look beautiful as ever Rapunzel,” Ignis said, ever the gentleman.

She smiled at the advisor. “Thank you.” She looked up at the sky. “It turns out that I’m the lost princess. But there’s also something else.” She looked back at the group. “When I healed Flynn, I noticed that it wasn’t just the magic inside me from my hair that healed him, but something else. It was … light. And when I healed him, there was this voice that told me I was a Princess of Heart. And the voice told me what that was and what power I have. I think … I think I’m supposed to tell you, Sora.”

Sora smiled and nodded. “We’re looking for all the Princesses of Heart. They’re in danger.”

Rapunzel frowned. “I see. So, what happens now?”

“Well, we’d like to take you someplace safe,” Goofy replied. “But we can’t make you come with us. It’s your choice.”

“But the longer you stay here, the more dangerous it is for you and everyone here,” Donald said.

Rapunzel looked at Flynn. She furrowed her brows, then looked at the grass. “I don’t want to leave. I’ve made friends and I can finally be with my real family.” She toed the grass. “But, if it’ll keep everyone here safe, this world safe, then yes, I’ll go with you.” She looked up; finality set in her words.

Flynn placed a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. He placed a lock of hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek. “Are you sure?”

Rapunzel nodded and gave a small smile. “Yes. Once it’s safe, I’ll come back to you and to the kingdom. Then, my parents will have a daughter again and we’ll-” She blushed. “Well, we’ll start our new dream, right?”

Flynn smiled softly at her and placed a kiss on her lips. “Right.” He looked to Sora and the rest of the group. “Please, make sure she’s safe.”

“Don’t worry Flynn. We will,” Sora said, giving a thumbs up.

“Guess you got more than you bargained for when leaving the tower, huh Rapunzel?” Prompto said.

Rapunzel laughed. “I guess I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw, the song that Noctis and Prompto dance to is the theme from Prompto's DLC, "Home Sweet Home". 
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	9. Love Brings Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this chapter (I feel like I say that for every chapter XD). Hopefully this chapter will give you a bit of insight into what's happening with certain characters but I'm pretty sure it will still stir more questions naturally.  
> So when writing this chapter, I had to look back through various chapters from "In You and I There's A New Land" and I was surprised that I really enjoyed reading my own writing. I felt like I was reading someone else's fic for it made me laugh and squeal in delight. It's nice to know that writing is something I am very confident in. I didn't even know it until I read those past chapters.  
> Another fun thing I did for this chapter was added a line that jokingly refers to the previous fic of this series, or rather something(s) from the previous fic. I wonder if you'll catch it. It's not that obvious, for you would have to really think about what the line is talking about ;)
> 
> With everything going on in the world right now, we need love and hope more than ever and I feel that this chapter really emphasizes that. Let's remember to stay positive, spread love and kindness, and to keep hope in our hearts!
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)  
> [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“Having no one to turn to was the worst kind of hurt. But that just shows how much you mean to me. Carrying around a little hurt can’t be all that bad. Hurting is part of caring.”_

\- Sora, Kingdom Hearts 3

**Naminé:** _Please help_

That was all the message said and Riku did not need to be told twice. He abandoned the pile of research he had been searching through (for unfortunately a good three hours) and sped out of the room. He ran into the lounge to see that no one was there. He took out his phone and sent a quick message back to Naminé.

**Riku:** _Where are you?_

Not a moment later, he received a response.

**Naminé:** _Kitchen_

The kitchen? What trouble could she be facing in the kitchen out of all places? Did Heartless or Nobodies manage to get into the castle? Was it possible that someone from the Organization was here? Riku tried not to panic as he sprinted to the kitchen. When he got there, he didn’t know whether to be relieved or annoyed.

What he walked into was chaos. There were pieces of haphazardly cut up vegetables all over the floor and counter, there was something smoking on the stove (Riku had no idea why the smoke alarm hadn’t gone off yet), and there were glass shards mixed with what looked like salt on the floor. Riku closed his eyes, counted to ten, then opened them and let out a heavy sigh.

“Why?”

Naminé blinked back at him from her spot on the floor. She was picking up the bigger pieces of glass from the floor and throwing them in the nearby trashcan.

“You’re not gonna ask what happened? You’re not gonna do that thing where you look like a disappointed parent and lecture me?” Naminé asked teasingly.

“No, because I know you’re not gonna let me live it down. Last time you kept saying I was having a tantrum and the time before that, a meltdown.”

Naminé laughed. “But it was!”

Riku stepped further into the room. “Alright, get up and put the glass down before you cut yourself.”

The girl pouted but stood up nonetheless. “I’m not a child Riku.”

He gave her a deadpan stare. “You’re 16.”

“You’re 17. Not that much of a difference.”

“You’re tiny.”

“Your emotional capacity is tiny.”

Riku almost smiled at the quip. “You almost cried when I accidentally spilled water over your drawing a few months back.”

“In my defense, I had been working on that for two weeks. How was I supposed to know that a clumsy meathead would ruin it?”

He looked down at her and brought his hands up to her face. He squished her cheeks together and squinted at the blonde. “You think you’re so funny.”

Naminé did not look amused. She tried to glare at the silvernette as best as she could in her current position, but it seemed like she was only amusing him more, for his lips began to twitch up into a smile. Instead, she averted her eyes and sighed in defeat.

“Oh no, please keep doing that. It makes you look more adorable.”

Naminé swatted at the older boy until he let go with a hearty laugh. She flushed with slight embarrassment and annoyance. “You’re such a bully.”

“I’m a delight. As a matter of fact, I’m the most delightful person you’ll ever meet in your entire life.”

“Oh, poor Riku!” she said in false sympathy. She hugged him, her head just reaching his chest from their great height difference. “Needing to lie to feel better about yourself. It’s okay.”

Riku scoffed and lightly pushed her away. “You want to make me feel better? How about getting a broom to sweep this glass up?”

Naminé rolled her eyes but complied. “You’re gonna regret rejecting my hugs one day Riku. Mark my words!”

The silvernette shook his head and smiled to himself once she had left the kitchen. Their relationship had always been that of siblings. They always had playful banter and pretended to hate each other when they really were always looking out for the other. They had gotten comfortable with each other as time passed. Riku cherished his relationship with Naminé. He really did love her and only wanted the best for her.

Which was why he was gonna help her clean this up. He started by throwing away all the big shards of glass on the floor. He then threw away the terribly cut up vegetables. He grabbed a damp kitchen towel and wiped the counter. As he wiped the counter until it was basically shining - because Riku could be a bit of a clean freak at times – he heard someone walk in.

“Alright Sabrina are you gonna tell me how this-” Riku looked up to see that it was not Naminé who walked in, but rather Roxas. “- happened.”

Roxas stood at the entryway with a broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other. “Uhh, where’s Nami?”

Riku merely blinked at the boy, a bit dazed and confused. “She went to get those.” He gestured at the broom and dustpan that the blonde was holding.

Roxas furrowed his brows in confusion. “But I told her to wait here while I went to get them.”

Riku put the towel to the side and stared at Roxas. He crossed his arms and shook his head, letting out a humorless chuckle. “She wanted to get us alone in the same room.”

Roxas leaned the broom against the refrigerator and put the dustpan down. He stood next to Riku and leaned his back against the counter. He shrugged and the smallest of smiles appeared on his face. “Sounds like something she would do. I mean, she did notice something was going on.” Riku chuckled and turned his head to look at Roxas. From this angle, the blonde could still see the bruise on his cheek. “You haven’t healed it yet.”

“Huh?” Riku brought a hand up to his cheek and realized that Roxas was talking about _that_ injury. “Oh, it’s nothing.”

“But you haven’t healed it.”

Riku sighed. “I didn’t heal it because I don’t deserve to have it healed okay.”

“Riku-”

“No listen.” The silvernette clenched his hands for a second and then released all the pent-up frustration and tension in them. “What I said about Xion, about you … that was the most fucked up thing I could ever say to you. I was just so frustrated with how you had been being more …”

“Reckless?” Roxas finished with a tiny smirk.

Riku snorted at his matter-of-fact answer. “It’s just that you mean so much to me. You’re … one of my closest friends.” Riku internally screamed and kicked himself for how stupid and lame that probably sounded. Why couldn’t he just tell Roxas how he really felt? Maybe he really was a coward. “And the last thing I would ever want to do is hurt you. I’m so sorry Roxas.”

Roxas looked up at Riku as if contemplating something. “You know, after the fight I thought that all that stuff you said was bullshit. But then, I thought about it and realized that yeah, I am reckless and selfish. I do things without thinking about the consequences. And then I think to myself, if I had been more considerate and more responsible, would Xion still be here?”

Roxas was startled as he suddenly heard a loud slap. He realized that it came from Riku’s hands slamming down on the countertop. The older teen was now standing in front of him, his arms on either side of him leaning on the counter. He was boxed in by him, so he had no choice but to look up into his cyan orbs.

“Don’t you ever say that about yourself! You’re one of the most amazing people I know!” He closed his eyes and steadied his erratic breathing. When he looked at Roxas again, his eyes were full of conviction. “Maybe you do things without thinking but that’s only because you truly believe that what you’re doing is right. You’re not afraid to do that because you’re only thinking about others. You’re not selfish Rox. You’re not and don’t you ever forget that.”

The blonde looked up at him with wide surprised eyes. His lips were slightly parted and Riku couldn’t help but look down at them. How easy would it be to just close the distance between the two? To just be a little closer?

And why was Roxas’ face seemingly getting closer to his now? No, wait. Riku was getting closer to the other boy’s face. Riku realized that he was leaning in and that he was slowly closing the distance between them. What the hell was he doing? Was he really going to kiss Roxas?

And then the stupid smoke detector went off.

Riku jumped away from the blonde and realized just how terrified, surprised (whatever that emotion was) Roxas looked. Riku’s heart was beating frantically and he was pretty sure that his cheeks were redder than they had ever been. He turned to the stove to see that a pan had caught fire. He wanted to slap himself, for he had forgotten to turn off the stove when he walked in.

Riku summoned his keyblade and used water magic to put the fire out. He looked up at the smoke detector that was still going off and shot it with thunder magic, causing it to short out.

He then heard uncontrollable laughter from behind him and turned to see that it was from Roxas. The blonde was clutching his stomach with one hand and leaning on the counter with the other. Riku tentatively approached him. “Roxas, are you okay?”

The blonde wiped a tear and tried to regain his breathing. “I’m- I’m okay.” His twitchy smile said otherwise. “No, I’m not!” He then burst out into laughter again.

Riku smiled, probably the biggest smile he had ever given off. He had missed hearing Roxas’ laugh and seeing him smile with such sincerity. It was refreshing and possibly the highlight of his day, or month, year, maybe even life for that matter.

Suddenly, he felt warmth and realized that it was coming from arms, Roxas’ arms around him. He was being hugged by Roxas. Roxas was hugging him, like in real life and not in a dream.

“Thanks, Riku. And I’m sorry too.”

Riku gently hugged the boy back. “Can we promise to stop being angsty teenagers and just talk about problems that pop up between us from now on?”

Roxas pulled away and chuckled. “I think that’s a great idea.” He held out his pinky.

Riku laughed at the gesture. “Seriously?”

“It’s not official if you don’t wrap pinkies.” Roxas said it in such a serious manner that it almost made Riku laugh even more.

“Guess you got me there,” the taller boy replied as he wrapped his pinky around Roxas’.

“And so, the pact is sealed.”

Riku scoffed at the blonde’s childish humor. Roxas summoned Oathkeeper and cast a curing spell on Riku, healing his injured cheek.

“I think you’re deserving of being healed.”

Riku smiled at the boy. “Thanks.” He then grabbed the broom and began to sweep up the mess that remained on the floor.

Roxas crossed his arms and smirked as he suddenly remembered something. “So, Rox huh?”

“Oh my gosh Roxas!”

About fifteen minutes later, Naminé walked into a spotless kitchen.

“Well, if I’d known that you two could work magic like this, I’d scheme more often.”

“So, you did do this on purpose,” Roxas said as he pointed a spatula at her from his spot at the stove.

“I thought we already discussed this like, a few minutes ago?” Riku asked as he was washing dishes.

“Well yeah, but I wanted to believe in the good that Nami has in her.”

Riku scoffed. “What good? Look at her, she’s an evil little gremlin.”

Naminé came up behind Riku and lightly slapped the back of his head. “One day Riku, one day you’re gonna regret bullying me.”

“I am absolutely terrified.”

Naminé giggled as she stood by Roxas now. “So, what are you making?”

“Food,” the blonde male answered cheekily.

Naminé narrowed her eyes at him. “Riku’s becoming a bad influence on you.”

“Or maybe he’s finally seeing how evil you truly are,” Riku said as he put his hands up to block Naminé’s swatting. “We had to remake the food again after the disaster you purposely created in here. Seriously Naminé, how did you even cut those vegetables? It looks like they were brutally murdered.” Naminé covered her mouth as a laugh burst out. Riku looked very confused at the blonde girl. “What?”

“I didn’t cut them,” she answered.

Roxas hung his head in shame as he continued to stir the contents in the pan. “I did.”

Naminé only laughed harder and Riku shook his head in disappointment. “Remind me to give you cooking lessons sometime.”

Roxas only gave a half-hearted thumbs up in acknowledgement.

* * *

After lunch, during which Roxas and Riku basically stared Naminé down to make sure she ate every last bite from her plate, they headed back to the lounge. The blonde girl sat in front of Roxas and prepared herself to delve into his memories.

“Should I go?” Riku asked as he was about to stand up from his seat.

Naminé was about to say no but Roxas beat her to it. “No, it’s alright. Stay. I doubt you want to go back looking through all those papers anyway.”

Riku chuckled. “You got me there.”

Naminé absolutely beamed at seeing that the two boys were back to their usual selves. She cared deeply for both of them in different ways, but they held a place in her heart. She knew that the two cared for each other as well and that they had a unique friendship, one that no one saw coming. She giggled at a memory resurfacing where Sora had accused Roxas of stealing his best friend. This caught both boys’ attention.

Realizing that they were looking at her now, she waved a hand and shook her head. “Don’t mind me. Just being happy, that’s all.”

Roxas gave her a soft smile. “I’m glad.”

Riku nodded and smiled as well. “Me too.”

However, Naminé noticed that when the silvernette said this, he looked at Roxas and not her. She tucked the thought away for another time. Right now, she had to help her friends. She had to do her part in finding Ienzo.

Naminé squared her shoulders and met Roxas’ gaze. “Alright Roxas, I need you to clear your mind and be as calm as you can. It’ll be easier if you’re less tense.”

Roxas nodded and took a breath. “Okay.”

“No need to be nervous Roxas, it’s just me.”

Riku coughed from his seat and the girl turned to see he was covering his mouth. Was he smiling behind his hand? She tilted her head in question but Riku just gestured for her to continue. She placed her hands gently on the sides of Roxas’ head and closed her eyes. She began to feel a slight tingling sensation emanate from her body, a sign that her powers were in effect. She focused on sifting through the various memories that radiated from Roxas’ heart into his mind. She kept sifting through more and more until she found what she was looking for.

The way Naminé would describe it is this. Memories, readily available ones, played like little videos in one’s mind. It was as if there were thousands of little screens recapping the events of their life. Those were the memories that were easy to access. The hidden memories were a bit more difficult and trickier to unravel, for if she did it incorrectly, she could not only end up damaging other memories, but the individual as well.

Naminé would describe a hidden memory as a dark blob, a clump that had to be untangled, undone. These hidden memories were usually tucked away someplace deep inside one’s heart. Once she found it, she had to carefully unchain the several threads of that memory. It was basically like untangling a ball of yarn, one that was very knotted.

Unfortunately, Naminé had no idea what hidden memory to look for. There were quite a few in Roxas’ heart since his memory was still slowly coming back in bits and pieces. Luckily, because she had tapped into Ienzo’s memories, her powers were able to recognize his presence in a memory, even hidden ones. It was thanks to this that she was able to pinpoint the hidden memories that Ienzo, or rather Zexion, was a part of. Now all she had to do was look through each one of those to see if there were any clues as to why the Organization would kidnap Ienzo.

_Ienzo, no … Zexion stepped into view. He was looking down at Roxas as if contemplating something. He crossed his arms and said in an impassive voice, “You will refer to me by number. Understand Number Thirteen?”_

_Roxas nodded and watched as Zexion left the room._

_Roxas was walking into a room, a seemingly sort of lounge where Zexion was sitting on a sofa reading a book. Demyx was on the other side of said sofa strumming his sitar and Xigbar was spinning his arrow guns as he lied on the sofa opposite of them._

_“Hey kid,” Xigbar greeted._

_Roxas looked to the older man and nodded. “Hello.”_

_Xigbar chuckled. “Still acting like a robot, huh?”_

_Roxas sat down and gave a confused look to him. “Robot? Axel called me a robot too. Is that bad?”_

_“It is if you don’t wanna end up like Zexion here.”_

_Roxas looked at the slate haired male sitting across him. He seemed very focused on whatever he was reading. After a few minutes of watching him, the blonde noticed that Zexion’s hands were clenching the book tightly and shaking a bit. He couldn’t see his face, but he did see that he was very stiff. Next to him, Demyx strummed his sitar rather loudly. Roxas looked between the two and realized that Zexion was probably having a weird reaction to Demyx’s playing. Roxas was about to tell Demyx that his playing was making Zexion feel bad when the cloaked schemer shut his book and turned to face the musician._

_“Do you have to play that infernal instrument so loudly?” Zexion’s voice was teetering on the edge of yelling. This further confused Roxas, for he didn’t understand why the male’s voice was getting higher in volume._

_“What? You don’t like my playing, Zexy?” Demyx replied as he slowly stopped strumming._

_Roxas wondered why Demyx was calling Zexion Zexy. He should have been referring to him by number. Isn’t that what Zexion had told him when they first met?_

_“I told you not to call me that, Number Nine.”_

_“You’re no fun.”_

_“I’m not here to have fun. We can’t have fun. We can’t feel anything.”_

_“Then how come I feel that you’re a stick in the mud?” Demyx retorted smartly._

_“That’s not an emotion you idiot. That’s a thought, one that I’m surprised you have since all that’s in that head of yours is hot air.”_

_Demyx laughed and clapped Zexion on the back. “Ah Zexy, you’re so funny!”_

_Zexion’s eye twitched as he tried to ignore Demyx’s ongoing one-sided conversation._

_Xigbar leaned into Roxas’ ear and whispered, “Don’t worry, they’re always like this. Zexion usually tries to find peace and quiet while Demyx disrupts it.”_

_“Why?” the blonde teen asked. He didn’t understand why someone would do that. It was quite obvious that Zexion didn’t appreciate Demyx’s antics at all._

_“Demyx likes to try and get people to liven up a little but most of the time he just ends up getting under their skin.”_

_Roxas had no idea how Demyx could get under someone’s skin. That must have been a painful process to go through. His thoughts were interrupted when Zexion stormed out of the room and Demyx called after him._

_“Lighten up a little Zexy!”_

_Roxas stopped walking down the hall when he heard voices approaching. He saw that Vexen and Zexion were walking down the hall as well, only in the opposite direction._

_“He’s expecting results soon! And you’re telling me that you haven’t been successful in any of your-”_

_“I understand that,” Zexion interrupted. “However, I’m not a miracle worker. If he wants me to do my job correctly, then he will have to wait or provide me with a competent assistant.”_

_Vexen sighed. “I cannot aid you for I have my own research to attend to. However, I’ll see what I can do. I shall talk to him.”_

_The two walked past Roxas and their voices disappeared._

_“So, I asked for a competent assistant and they sent you.”_

_Zexion gave Roxas a distasteful look. Roxas just looked up wide-eyed at his superior, waiting for his orders. He didn’t know why he was here. Saix just told him that he had to do whatever Zexion told him to do._

_“Saix told me to come here.”_

_Zexion rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know that.” He pinched the bridge of his nose then gave the blonde a steel look. “You are not to touch anything in this room unless I explicitly tell you to do so. You will not discuss any of the work I do here with anyone else. You will not disrupt me while I work. Is that clear?”_

_Roxas nodded. “Yes.” This was good. He had his orders. They seemed easy enough. He would make sure not to disappoint Zexion._

_“Number Thirteen, I need you to stir this in a clockwise direction for 15 seconds, then counter-clockwise for another 15. Alternate this pattern until I tell you to stop. Understand?”_

_Roxas nodded. “Yes.”_

_Zexion’s face did a strange thing. His lips formed a tight line and his brow furrowed the slightest bit. He seemed bothered by something. But just as quick as that expression appeared, it was gone. “Right.”_

_He stepped to the side of the blonde and began to write in a notebook. Roxas stirred as he was told but couldn’t help but sneak a quick glance at what the other was writing. He turned his eyes for just a moment and was able to only make out one phrase that was at the top of the page._

**_Memory Serum Progress_ **

Naminé pulled away from Roxas and opened her eyes. She felt something soft being pressed against her head and she realized that it was a towelette.

“You alright?”

She turned to see Riku looking at her with concern in his eyes. He was holding up a towelette to her head because she was sweating. She hadn’t even noticed until now.

“I’m fine,” she said. “It was a bit difficult, but I think I found something that might help. We should go to the research lab and let everyone know.”

The three made their way to the lab and once they walked in, they saw only one person there.

“Hello Cloud,” Naminé greeted.

The blonde man turned at hearing his name and nodded to her, his form of greeting her. He was a man of few words after all. Behind her Roxas stifled a laugh. Naminé turned to him and gave him a questioning look. He leaned into Riku and whispered something that made the taller teen laugh.

This caught Cloud’s attention and he raised a brow in question. “Something funny?”

Riku was able to compose himself while Roxas began to howl in laughter. “Sorry for my immature friend here Cloud,” Riku said as he pointed to the blonde teen. “It’s just that you look a bit like a friend of ours. That’s all.”

Cloud merely blinked and looked all the more confused. “Okay?”

Naminé walked up to him and shook her head in amusement. “Don’t mind them. Anyway, do you know where everyone else ran off to? I finally found something that I think can help in tracking Ienzo.”

“Great, cause I found something too.”

“Really?” Naminé sounded hopeful. “That’s great! We need to tell everyone.”

“That’s what I came here for but …”

“I’ll message them,” Riku said.

“So, when did you get here?” Roxas asked.

“A couple minutes ago. I was getting rid of some Nobodies in the ravine trail when I pieced the last bit of my theory together.”

“Theory?” Naminé asked. “You’re saying you had an idea of what happened to Ienzo?”

“More like a suspicion of why they took him. It didn’t start until a few weeks ago actually, when I noticed the Nobodies were focused on targeting me.”

The girl looked at him worryingly. “They’re after you? Why?”

Cloud frowned at the new expression on her face and tentatively patted her head. Naminé heard Roxas stifling more laughter but she appreciated that Cloud was trying to ease her worry, even if he was a bit awkward at it. But he was trying and that’s what mattered.

“Let’s wait until everyone gets here. Then I’ll explain.”

They didn’t have to wait long, for just a few minutes after Riku messaged everyone, people started to come in. Leon, Mickey, and Yuffie trailed in together, then Even and Cid came in a moment later.

“Two more are coming,” Leon said.

No sooner had he said that, Aerith and Tifa came in the room.

“Riku! Roxas! It’s been a while,” Tifa said as soon as she saw the two teens.

“It’s wonderful to see you,” Aerith said with a smile.

Riku and Roxas greeted the two women. They had been very busy as of late. Not only were they doing their part in getting rid of the Heartless and Nobodies, but they were tending to those that needed medical attention, especially since Aerith was skilled with healing magic.

“So, you said you found something substantial pertaining to Ienzo’s kidnapping?” Even said, hope evident in his tone.

“Actually, Cloud found something too,” Naminé said.

“You go first,” Cloud said.

Naminé nodded and laced her fingers together out of habit. “I looked through Roxas’ memories of his time in the Organization and found out that Zexion was tasked with creating a memory serum.”

“A memory serum? That is rather strange.” Even placed a hand to his chin in thought. “Was he successful in creating one?”

Naminé shook her head. “I don’t think so. There weren’t any memories with him after that one, so I assume that’s when Zexion was sent to Castle Oblivion.”

“You know, him working on a memory serum might actually make sense with what I found,” Cloud spoke up. About three weeks ago the Nobodies were targeting me and I didn’t know why. Even when I was among others, they seemed to focus on me only. I thought of what made me different from everyone else and the only thing I could come up with was the mako in me.”

“Mako?” Even asked.

“I think Aerith can explain it better than me.” Cloud gestured to the brunette.

Aerith stepped forward. “Mako is the life stream of the planet, well our planet that is. It’s very powerful and has many properties. Unfortunately, back home it is exploited and used as an energy source. It’s also used for … other purposes.” She looked up at Cloud as she said this.

“Mako is also used to create SOLDIERs which have enhanced physical and cognitive abilities. The enhanced physical aspect is pretty self-explanatory. The enhanced cognitive abilities are where it may connect to Ienzo’s kidnapping.” He took a look around the room, making sure that everyone was still following what he was saying. “If done right, mako can improve every function of your brain, including memory. If you use too much, mako poisoning happens and your memories become scattered and convoluted like mine.”

Naminé saw that Roxas wanted to say something but held back. She had a good idea of what he was going to say, for she too wanted to ask more about Cloud’s mako poisoning. She felt that Cloud wouldn’t discuss more about that with them though, especially when there was a more urgent matter at hand.

“My point is that I began to think that maybe the Nobodies were after mako. I was proved right when I was fighting them today and one managed to scratch me. A few drops of blood fell on the floor and they all went crazy over it. If Ienzo is working on a memory serum, mako might just be the thing he needs to complete it.”

“Why would the Organization need a memory serum?” Leon wondered out loud.

Mickey piped up. “Maybe Xehanort, or one of his vessels, has some hidden memories that he’s searching for.”

“In that case, why not kidnap Naminé? No offense,” Cloud said.

Naminé let out a small giggle. “None taken. And I think I know why. These memories are probably something that Xehanort wants to keep a secret. If he used me, I would be seeing what it is that he’s looking for. If he used a serum, only the person that would take it would see those memories.”

“Little to no witnesses,” Tifa said. “Those memories must be extremely important then.”

“So, we now know why Ienzo was taken and that the Nobodies are looking for mako,” Leon reiterated.

Cloud nodded. “If the Nobodies are coming after me for mako, then that means that our home world is still lost.”

“Or maybe it’s just blocked off,” Riku said.

“Regardless, they’re gonna be coming after me, which means that I shouldn’t be hanging around here.”

Aerith walked up to him and poked him in the chest. “Now don’t you go running off by yourself like some lone wolf, Cloud Strife!”

Cloud blinked at the woman, baffled. He looked to Tifa for help but the raven only chuckled. “Don’t look at me. I’m behind her on this one hundred percent.”

“Cloud trust me when I say that fighting battles on your own will only lead to your own demise. They’re just as worried about you as you are of them,” Riku said.

Aerith jumped. “Aww, you’re worried about us?”

Cloud turned his face away from her. “No.”

Tifa leaned into the three teens. “Cloud may act all emotionless, but he’s really just a big softie on the inside.”

Roxas smirked and looked at Riku. “Reminds me of someone I know.”

The silvernette nudged the shorter boy with his elbow. “Shut up.”

Naminé smiled at the camaraderie that seemed to be happening in this single room with all these people. They were all working to find Ienzo and it warmed her heart immensely. They filled her heart with something she had slowly been losing.

Hope.

* * *

“Noctis, could you pass me the-”

“Here.” Noctis handed Ienzo a pencil as he stared at nothing in particular, face leaning on his hand.

“How did you know?” The scholar asked as he began to jot something down.

“You’ve broken like ten pencils in the past twenty minutes. All you’ve been asking for is pencils,” Noctis answered in a rather dull tone.

Ienzo looked a bit embarrassed as he scratched the back of his head. “Sorry.” He gave a sheepish smile.

Noctis shook his head and sat up. “It’s fine. I’m just wondering what’s causing the massacre of these poor pencils.”

Ienzo almost laughed at the prince’s jest. “I’m just a bit frustrated is all. I have to keep adjusting the calculations I make for the serum. But when I test it out, it still doesn’t come out right.”

“I would ask what’s wrong with it, but I don’t understand any of this sciencey stuff.”

Ienzo chuckled a bit, then sighed. “I just hope I can finish this soon.”

“Just what is it that you’re making?”

Ienzo gave a slight smirk and put a finger to his lips. “Secret.”

“It’s a bomb isn’t it? You’re gonna kill all of us like a madman and escape.”

The slate-haired male laughed and put his pencil down to face Noctis. “I can assure you it’s not a bomb. Although that doesn’t seem like a bad idea …”

“Dude, I was kidding!”

“And so was I.” The unamused face Noctis gave only humored Ienzo further. “It’s a serum that Xemnas desperately needs.”

“What does it do?”

“Can’t say. The less you and Demyx know, the safer you’ll be.”

“Wait, so Demyx doesn’t even know what you’re making? That’s kind of stupid to have one of your goons do a job but not know why they’re doing it.”

“My thoughts exactly, but it’s for the better anyway. Xemnas has always been secretive about this particular project. I assume it’s an essential part of his plan.”

Noctis looked completely shocked. “And you’re just gonna give it to him?”

“Of course not. I’m not stupid.”

A small smile spread on Noctis’ face and he narrowed his eyes at the other male. “What are you up to?”

Ienzo gave off a rather devious smirk. “They didn’t call me the cloaked schemer for nothing.”

“I’m back!”

Demyx stepped out of the dark portal that had appeared in the middle of the research lab. He was carrying a few bags with him that Noctis assumed were filled with food and other supplies. Noctis had been confused at first as to why Demyx had to go to other worlds to get supplies. Ienzo had explained that since they were in a data-based world, there was no real sustenance available to them. This world had been created just to give Ienzo a place to work, so there were no people at all. It was a ghost town, or rather a ghost world.

When Demyx had asked what he should bring back, Noctis had been very tempted to ask for things from Lucis. He thought better of it though and realized it would be safer if Demyx didn’t go to his home world. It wasn’t that he thought Demyx would harm anyone (again he didn’t really know the guy either) but he just didn’t want any of the other Organization members tracking him there and possibly going there to wreak havoc. In the end, he just listed off what he didn’t like, which was a pretty lengthy list that Demyx had to write down.

Demyx set the bags down and pulled out three blue ice pops. “I brought these too. Maybe Ienzo will finally listen to me about taking a break if I give him some incentive.”

Noctis’ eyes lit up. “Is that sea-salt ice cream?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“He’s friends with Sora and Roxas, remember?” Ienzo said.

“Hah, true that.” Demyx pulled Ienzo by the hand. “Come on. You’re not getting any ice cream unless you come outside.”

Ienzo groaned. “Why can’t I just eat it here?”

Noctis stood up. “I’ve gotta agree with Demyx. All you’ve been doing is working.”

“Because if I don’t work, I can only imagine what Xemnas will do to me, or you, or Demyx.”

“Whoah, whoah!” Demyx shook his finger in disapproval. “My job is to look after you two, not the other way around.”

Noctis put an arm around Ienzo’s shoulders. “Not his fault. He probably just has a biiiiig heart.”

“So, whattaya say Zexy? Play hooky with us?”

Ienzo sighed and smiled. He took one of the ice creams and made his way outside. “It’s Ienzo, Demyx.”

The trio found themselves eating their ice cream while walking through the town. It was strange to Noctis to see so many houses and shops that had no people in them. No one was in the town except for the three of them. It was quiet except for the water splashing from the fountains.

“So Noctis,” Demyx began. “We never really got a chance to know you and get up all in your business.”

Noctis stopped mid-bite of his ice cream. “What?”

Ienzo slapped Demyx’s arm. “He’s just kidding Noctis.”

Demyx took a bite of his ice cream. “Partially kidding. We just don’t know much about you and we’re kinda stuck with each other for who knows how long so …”

“Noctis you don’t have to tell us anything.”

“No, it’s okay. He does have a point.” Noctis shrugged. It really didn’t bother him to tell his two … roommates? … more about himself. It made sense. If they wanted to work together, then they should be getting along.

“So, you guys know I come from the world Eos. On Eos, there’s a kingdom called Lucis and in Lucis is the city of Insomnia. That’s where I was born.”

“Your city is named after a sleep disorder?” Demyx asked a bit teasingly.

Ienzo gave a disapproving look to Demyx. “Demyx!”

Noctis chuckled. “No, really it’s okay. Actually, it’s refreshing to have someone so cheerful around.”

“See, I’m refreshing!” Demyx playfully stuck his tongue out at the scholar.

Ienzo rolled his eyes and gestured for Noctis to continue.

“Lucis is ruled by my father King Regis Lucis Caelum and at his side is my mother who we actually just found a year ago since she was missing for twenty years, Aulea Noctis Astrum Caelum.”

“Holy shit dude! So, you’re a prince? I feel like I should bow to you or something.”

Noctis grimaced. “Please don’t.” He took a bite of ice cream. “I never really liked being treated like a prince. I had always wanted at least one person to actually see me for who I was and treat me like any other person.” A smile made its way onto his face.

“Ahh I know that look. Who’s the lucky girl?”

“More like guy, and if anyone is the lucky one, it’s me.”

“Oh my gosh Ienzo he’s gonna tell us a love story.” Demyx dragged the two to a nearby bench near a water fountain. “Okay, continue.”

Noctis laughed at the blonde’s excitement. “His name is Prompto. We became fast friends in high school and fell in love. We didn’t get together until last year, so we had been pining after each other for a good five years, I think? He also saved my life too so he’s definitely a keeper.” The raven chuckled. “Prompto was the first person to just look at me for who I was. He never used my title or asked about my royal life. He only ever wanted to know more about the real me. He always made me feel beyond happy. It wasn’t until after I almost lost him that I finally got my head out of my ass and confessed to him.” Noctis’ smile faltered. “The best way to describe him is that he’s sunshine. He’s always optimistic and hopeful, cheerful and kind, caring and empathetic.” Noctis sniffled and realized that his vision was becoming blurry. He turned his face away and wiped at his eyes. “Shit. I’m sorry.” His voice came out more broken than he meant it to.

Ienzo frowned from his seat next to him and rubbed the prince’s back in what he hoped was a soothing manner. “Don’t apologize. You miss him. It’s perfectly natural.”

Noctis let out a bittersweet chuckle. “I feel like I told you guys more about Prompto than me.”

“I think we learned more about you than you think. Love is a strong emotion that can reveal so much about a person, Noctis.”

Noctis stopped rubbing his eyes and gave a pensive look to Ienzo. “You speaking from experience?”

The scholar shook his head. “Unfortunately, no. I haven’t really had the luxury to experience romantic love since my heart was taken at the age of eight and I wasn’t recompleted until I was eighteen. A year later and I’m kidnapped.”

Demyx groaned. “I feel even more like a piece of shit now.”

“Tha- that wasn’t my intention, I assure you!” the slate-haired male panicked.

Demyx chuckled. “I know Ienzo, you’re too good for that. Still, I feel bad regardless. I swear guys, I didn’t want to do this but-”

“Demyx,” Noctis said. “It’s okay. I think anyone who had an evil mastermind for a boss would be too scared to disobey them.”

“That’s not why I did it.”

Noctis and Ienzo turned to look at the blonde who was now staring at the floor. Ienzo seemed more confused than the raven. “I thought you kidnapped us because Xemnas threatened to destroy you.”

Demyx shook his head. “I said that in order for you not to freak out.”

Noctis leaned a bit more into the conversation now, for he was also very curious as to why the blonde followed through with his orders of bringing the two of them here.

Demyx let out a heavy breath and looked at Ienzo. “When Xemnas told me to bring you here, I had originally said no. As you probably can guess, he wasn’t too thrilled with me being defiant so he said that if I didn’t take you, he would kill you.” Demyx looked away from him. “I have to carry out his orders because if I don’t, he will kill you Ienzo.”

Ienzo didn’t say anything. Noctis however did. “So that’s why you kidnapped me. If you didn’t, Xemnas would have-”

“Noctis, I’m really sorry I swear.”

Noctis shook his head. “You don’t have to apologize. I would have done the same thing to protect someone I care about.”

Ienzo straightened in his seat, stood up, and stormed away. Demyx stood up and ran after the slate-haired male. “Ienzo wait!”

Noctis was left sitting on the bench, chewing on the end of his wooden popsicle stick, looking in the direction that the two went in.

“I swear I’ve seen this before.”

* * *

The doors to the castle burst open as Ienzo stormed in, anger radiant on his features. Ienzo had never been this angry in his entire existence, well human existence that is, which wasn’t very long. He went into Ansem’s study to make his way to the research lab when a hand grasped his wrist.

“Ienzo wait.”

Ienzo wrenched his hand from the blonde and turned to him. “I don’t want to talk to you.” His voice was cold and hard. It sounded very much like Zexion’s and that scared him.

“Ienzo please. I’m sorry I kept that from you, but I don’t get why you’re so upset over it.”

Ienzo’s eyes widened and Demyx instantly knew that he had only angered him even more. The slate-haired male let out a humorless chuckle and shook his head. “You want to talk? Fine then. Let’s talk.” He crossed his arms and stared at the taller male, making him shrink into himself. “How could you?”

Demyx blinked, obviously confused by the question. “How could I …”

“How could you be so stupid as to put my life before yours?” Ienzo noticed that his voice was beginning to rise in volume, but he didn’t care. He was too angry to care. “Do you not care about yourself? Is that it? Do you think you have no self-worth?”

Now it was Demyx’s turn to be angry. “You have no right to criticize me for the decisions I make.”

“Yes, I do! You know why?! It’s because of me that your condition is worsening, that your heart is darkening! Soon you won’t be Demyx anymore and you knew that! You knew that and you still made that reckless decision!”

“It’s not reckless Ienzo! It’s not to me! You know why?! Because you’re my friend and I wasn’t gonna let that scumbag lay a hand on you!”

Ienzo was stunned and his anger lessened. It was silent as Demyx was the one who glared at him now while he just stared up at the blonde with wide curious eyes.

Demyx rubbed a gloved hand over his face and sighed, composing himself. “Back then, I didn’t join the Organization just to gain a heart. I joined cause I was lonely. I just wanted to be around others again, so being around most of the members made me feel some kind of happiness. A good chunk of them were my friends, including you. I know you didn’t particularly like me and probably even despised my nonexistence, but you still put up with my antics even though I annoyed you to no end. Eventually the Organization members lessened, and I started to feel lonely again. Then I was brought back and had no friends again. So, when Xemnas threatened to kill you, I knew I couldn’t let him do that. Because you’re my friend, and I couldn’t let Xemnas take another friend from me.” The musician let out a self-deprecating laugh. “I guess a part of me just wanted to see an old friend too, which made following Xemnas’ order to take you easier in a way. But knowing that you were back with a completed heart and starting a new life, it hurt me more that I ripped you away from your home, and I can’t stop feeling the guilt that eats at me every single day.”

Demyx’s features were full of resolve as he took a step forward, still looking at Ienzo. “I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about the truth behind your kidnapping, but I won’t apologize for my reasons for doing it.”

“Oh,” Ienzo managed to breathe out rather dumbly. His heart tingled with some sort of emotion. It was the same feeling of joy that he had gotten when Naminé told him that she loved him. It was that same feeling of surprise from knowing that someone could care that much about him. He knotted his hands in embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I got angry at you for being a good friend. I guess I’m just …”

“Worried?” Demyx said with a raised brow.

“Yes. I guess I am worried. I don’t want you sacrificing your well-being for me. You deserve a good life too.”

“Hey cheer up! It’s not that bad. Plus, I’ve got two friends out of this so I’m okay, really.” Demyx ruffled the shorter male’s hair.

Ienzo laughed and swatted at the other. “Just remember, friendships are a two-way street.”

“I could tell you the same thing.” A smirk appeared on Demyx’s face, one that Ienzo knew meant trouble. “So, you really think I’m a good friend?”

Ienzo rolled his eyes and began to walk to the research lab. “Pssh, you just had to ruin the moment, didn’t you?”

The blonde followed him. “It’s a serious question though!”

It wasn’t until a good half hour later that Noctis walked in.

“Ahh, there’s his Royal Highness,” Demyx teased.

Noctis’ face naturally soured at the sound of his title being used. “Oh gods I knew I shouldn’t have mentioned my royal status.”

“It does make sense though.”

“What do you mean?”

Ienzo came over, interest piqued in their conversation. “Yes, what do you mean?”

Demyx went over to Noctis and held out his hands as if presenting him. “I mean look at him! He just looks like a prince. He can probably impregnate a whole world just by looking at it.”

Noctis sputtered and his face became red and hot. “D- Demyx! What the hell?!”

Ienzo stroked his chin as if considering a vital piece of information. “Hmm, he does make a valid point Noctis.”

“Oh no, not you too.” Noctis put a hand to his head in exasperation. “I literally spent half an hour outside in town by myself just so I wouldn’t interrupt whatever moment you two were having. And this is how you guys repay me?”

Demyx placed a hand on his hip and gave Noctis a shit-eating grin. “Noctis, what did you think you were gonna walk into?”

Noctis’ eyes widened in embarrassment as he realized how much he had misjudged their “moment.” “Umm, just … you guys making up?”

Ienzo watched the two with humor at first then horror as he realized what Noctis had misinterpreted. His face became beet red and he covered his face. “Why would you think that?!”

Demyx let out a hearty laugh at the embarrassment the other two were obviously showing. “Aww, you two are adorable.” He pinched both of their cheeks as they tried to fight him away.

Noctis managed to get away from the blonde. He pouted and rubbed at his cheeks. “Stupid tall people and their stupid tall authority.”

“Dude, I’m just a few inches taller than you. You’re just short.”

Noctis gasped and Ienzo poked Demyx in the chest. “I take offense to that.”

“I’m sure you two shorties do.”

Ienzo grabbed Noctis’ wrist and began to pull him toward the door that led to the hallway. “Well these two shorties are just going to have fun without you then.”

“Yeah,” Noctis said as he stuck his tongue out at the blonde.

“Oooo, kinky,” Demyx said in a teasing voice.

Noctis scoffed and said to Ienzo, “There’s just no winning with him, is there?”

Ienzo laughed and shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”

As he continued to walk with Noctis, he couldn’t help but think that Demyx was right about taking a break from his work. He felt infinitely much better and fuller of life. He was glad that Noctis and Demyx were here to remind him that he was in fact human and had to think about himself from time to time.

“But that’s okay,” Ienzo said as a small smile graced his lips. “He means well.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	10. Just Boys Being Boys

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So last chapter I made a tiny mistake but fixed it. Just in case you read it before I did, I'll clear up the little error here. The last chapter mentioned Aeleus and Dilan extremely briefly in Data Radiant Garden. However, Aeleus and Dilan are actually in the real Radiant Garden. I took that part out so remember, the only beings on Data Radiant Garden are Ienzo, Noctis, and Demyx. That's it. Only them three. I apologize if this confused some people. I have so many ideas that they're driving me insane and confusing me XD  
> Especially since I'm working on two fics at the same time (don't recommend it at all), my imagination is all over the place right now.
> 
> This chapter is something that I think many of you will love then hate me for in the first 30 seconds of reading it and you'll see why. I'm so sorry. I'm even sorry to myself too XD  
> On the bright side, I think a certain cute funny scene near the end will make up for that ... hopefully.
> 
> Anywho, please enjoy. Or throw sticks at me. It's love either way cause I get free sticks <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)  
> [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“I can’t help it. You two would make the weirdest brothers.”_

\- Aqua, Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep

Riku groaned as he heard the familiar chime from his phone alerting him of a new message. Face still in his pillow, he reached out blindly at the nightstand only to knock his phone to the floor. He lifted his head and looked over the side of the bed. He reached out as far as he could, reluctant to leave the warm comfort of his bed. As he stretched his arm out as far as he could, a knock at his door caused him to jump and ultimately fall off the bed, pulling the covers down with him. The teen let out a pained groan, too lazy to even unravel the cocoon of blankets he was tied up in.

He heard the door burst open and Roxas’ voice say, “Riku! Are you okay? Where are-” There was a pause, then laughter.

Riku let out an exasperated sigh. “Are you gonna help me or just stand there laughing like an idiot?” His voice was muffled but he knew that the blonde could still hear him.

“I don’t think I’m the idiot here.”

Riku heard footsteps get closer and before he knew it, the covers were untangled and thrown off. The teen squinted and blinked as his eyes adjusted to the now bright room. Looming over him was none other than Roxas. Riku thought his heart was going to stop from the smile the blonde was giving him.

“You okay Riku?” he asked, trying to stifle a laugh.

Riku snapped back to reality and rolled his eyes. “You’re an ass, you know that?”

Roxas chuckled and held a hand out. “Stop being such a baby and get up.”

Riku grabbed Roxas’ hand only to pull him down. Roxas fell, half his body landing on Riku. The blonde laughed into Riku’s chest and looked up. “What the hell was that for?”

The silvernette’s cheeks heated up and his eyes widened, for he completely miscalculated where Roxas would land. And what was worse was that Roxas wasn’t moving. He was just staying there.

“Riku? You okay?”

Roxas was looking at him now with a concerned expression. Those big cerulean eyes were staring at him, and those pouty lips …

Riku decided he couldn’t take the heat that was building up inside him anymore, so he cupped the blonde’s face and pulled him in, crashing his lips against his. The kiss only lasted a couple of seconds until Riku realized what he was doing and pulled away. Roxas looked very confused and Riku figured that he absolutely fucked up their friendship for good now.

“Roxas, I’m sorry.”

Roxas blinked and his expression changed to something else. It was the expression that he had when Naminé walked into a room, but this time it was being directed toward Riku. “Shut up.” And with that, he leaned down and crashed his lips back against Riku’s.

Riku, startled and surprised at first, quickly kissed the blonde back with such fervor and hunger that he feared he would consume him. He wrapped one arm around the blonde’s waist while the other snaked around his shoulders. He felt Roxas’ hands go up to his hair. His fingers tangled in the silver locks and Riku could only hum in delight.

As the kisses became more frantic and deeper, Roxas straddled the other teen. The blonde moaned when Riku’s tongue entered his mouth and if the silvernette was being honest, it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, and he wanted to keep hearing it.

And then all of a sudden, Roxas was giving him that confused expression once more. But hadn’t they just been kissing right now?

And then it hit him. He had been daydreaming.

“Um Riku? Did you hear me?”

Riku shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Dude, you zoned out for a bit. Did you hit your head or something?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Roxas, apparently disregarding what Riku just said, grabbed the silvernette’s head and turned it from side to side. “Hmm, I don’t see any swelling or anything, so I think you’re good. You’re probably just being an idiot.”

Riku swatted his hands away and scoffed. “So, what did you come in here for so early in the morning.”

“Pssh, it’s not that early. It’s like, six in the morning.”

“What the hell is late for you then?”

Roxas propped his chin on the other boy’s chest, completely unaware of what he was doing to him. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through it. “Like past seven.”

Riku was able to focus himself on the conversation despite how comfortable Roxas was making himself on his chest right now. “So, you’re telling me that you wake up at six in the morning every day?” he asked, disbelief in his tone.

“Hell no. I wake up at five.”

Riku gaped at the boy. He couldn’t possibly wake up that early every single day, right? What human-being functioned at that time in the morning? “How have you not gone insane yet?”

Roxas shrugged. “Who says I haven’t? Anyway, I came here cause of the message Sora sent in the chat.”

Riku turned his head to see his phone still on the floor. “I haven’t seen it yet. Why don’t you just read it for me?”

Roxas looked up from his phone and raised a brow at the silvernette. “Are you really that lazy to get your phone? You just need to scoot like a few inches more.”

“Eh. Too lazy. You could just get it for me.”

“Nah, I’m too comfortable now. Plus, I like tormenting you. It’s one of the more fulfilling things in my life.”

Riku wanted to laugh at how wrong that statement was. Nearly any attention from Roxas was good in his mind. “I’m flattered that I provide that much happiness in your life.”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “Oh gosh, I’ve inflated your already high ego.” He turned his phone to face Riku. “Here, read them yourself pretty boy.”

Riku blushed at the nickname even though it was one that Roxas constantly teased him with before. He knew the blonde meant nothing by it, but it still got his heart skipping beats and his cheeks turning all shades of red. He focused on the phone and cringed at the nicknames that Sora had given them in the chat.

**Sora:** Hey you guys! We just dropped off a princess of heart and are heading to radiant garden! You’re coming with us to the next world!

 **Prompto 2.0:** You know you don’t have to type everything with exclamation points right?

 **Sora:** But I’m happy so exclamation points!!!

 **Sora:** Anyway I know that you guys have only been there for like two or three days but master yen sid said it would be good for you two to travel to a few different worlds for experience or something like that

 **Prompto 2.0:** First of all, we’ve been here about a week

 **Prompto 2.0:** And second, you can admit that you miss us. You don’t need an excuse for us to come with you ;)

 **Sora:** I forgot time in each world is different

 **Sora:** And for your information Roxas you and Riku are like the most unmissable people to ever exist

 **Prompto 2.0:** Suuuuuure. Whatever you say

 **Sora:** I’m done talking to you you unmannered peasant. Tell your work husband to check the messages

 **Prompto 2.0:** So if Riku’s my work husband, who’s yours?

 **Sora:** I don’t need no man!

Riku chuckled and shook his head at how the conversation went from serious to ridiculous so quickly. “Does he not know what proper grammar and punctuation are?”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “You know you don’t have to use proper grammar in messaging, right? You just do it cause you’re old.”

“And you’re a baby,” the silvernette retorted. “You were technically created two years ago. The mind of a baby in a sixteen-year old’s body.”

“Riku you jerk!” Roxas laughed and crawled over to get Riku’s phone. He handed it to the him and made himself comfortable once again, only this time he used the other’s stomach as a pillow.

Riku opened the chat, a smirk appearing on his face as he typed out a message.

**Noctis?:** Don’t lie Sora. You have two work husbands with you at all times.

“Your stomach is making noise,” Roxas said out of the blue.

“That is what stomachs do when they’re empty.”

The blonde jumped to his feet. “This calls for breakfast!”

“Gee Roxas, where do you get these _amazing_ ideas?” Riku asked sarcastically as he got up.

Roxas narrowed his eyes. “Shut up and come make breakfast with me.”

“Why? Cause you can’t reach the upper cabinets?” the silvernette smirked.

Roxas scoffed. “No. I just … don’t want to get blamed when you die of starvation, that’s all.”

Riku laughed and followed the shorter boy out of the room. “Sure.” His phone chimed and he opened the message that popped up.

**Sora:** I thought we were friends and here you go taking the enemy’s side

Riku smiled and put his phone away, making small talk with the blonde as they made their way to the kitchen.

“Well this is a surprise.”

“What is?” Riku asked Naminé as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

“That you’re already awake.”

“Roxas, don’t give her any food. None at all. She can starve.”

Roxas’ shoulders shook with contained laughter from his place at the stove. “I can’t deny a damsel in distress.”

Naminé put her hands on her hips and gave Roxas a defiant look. “Who are you calling a damsel in distress?”

Roxas gestured his head toward the silvernette. “Riku of course.”

“Now listen here you little shit,” Riku said as he pointed a finger at the blonde. “I don’t need some tiny scrawny sunflower like you saving me from imminent danger.”

“Aww, you hear that Nami? Riku thinks I’m a pretty flower.”

Riku blushed while Naminé giggled. “He called you tiny and scrawny though.”

“Please. If Riku had even the tiniest bit of brain in that head of his, he’d realize that sunflowers can be up to like, twelve feet tall. So technically, he called me tall.”

“And tiny and scrawny,” Naminé muttered.

“Oh, I think me and Riku both know that I’m not scrawny. Isn’t that right Riku?”

Naminé smiled and raised a brow in question. “Oh really?” She gave off a mischievous grin, one that had Riku on edge. “So, what were you guys up to in order for you two to reach this … conclusion?”

Riku groaned into his hands as Roxas stared at the girl for a few moments, processing her words. When he realized the innuendo, his eyes widened. “You, I thought you were better than this Nami!”

“Told you she’s not as innocent as she looks,” said Riku.

Naminé rolled her eyes. “Oh please, I’m sixteen not dead.” She grabbed Riku’s mug from his hands and took a sip of coffee. “But seriously, I want to know the story behind that.”

“Aaand this is where I leave,” Riku said as he started to make his way out of the room. However, Roxas put an arm around his shoulders and pulled him in.

“Come on Riku, buddy old pal. Don’t you want to relive some precious memories from our years of friendship?” Roxas asked rather dramatically.

Riku breathed in, clearly annoyed but holding back his embarrassment. “No, I’d rather not. And we’ve only been friends for like, about a year.”

Roxas waved a hand. “Same thing.” He then directed his attention toward Naminé. “So anyway, this was like a month or so after Sora and Riku’s mark of mastery exam. So, me and Riku were in the gummi ship coming from, from …” he snapped his fingers as he tried to recall.

“Twilight Town,” Riku said.

“Yeah, that’s right! We were buying like a hoard of ice cream to take back to the islands. Anyway, we were on the ship and I had just finished showering but I couldn’t find my shirt. So, I go out in just pants and ask Riku if he’s seen my shirt. And you know what he says?” Roxas’ smile began to grow.

Riku covered his face again. “Oh no,” he mumbled into his palms.

“He said, and I quote,” he cleared his throat and began speaking in a false deep tone. “Dude, when did you get so hot?” And he broke into uncontrollable laughter.

Naminé began to laugh as well but she had a little more sympathy for Riku. She pulled him away from the blonde and hugged him. “Aww, it’s alright Riku. Nothing wrong with complimenting a friend.”

Riku took his hands off his face, revealing it to be a deep shade of red. His arms were at his sides, but his attention was on Roxas who just couldn’t stop laughing. Despite his embarrassment, Riku couldn’t help but smile. It warmed his heart that that gorgeous joyful laugh was coming out of Roxas because of him. It was truly a beautiful thing to see.

“Don’t worry Riku. I compliment people all the time. _Roxas_ wouldn’t understand,” Naminé said cheekily.

This caused the blonde’s laughter to die down. “What the- What do you mean? I compliment people too.”

Naminé scoffed. “Yeah, like once every blue moon.” She tiptoed and placed a kiss on Riku’s cheek, causing the silvernette’s cheeks to take on a very slight pink tint. “See, I just complimented him right now.”

Roxas looked almost stunned at the display of affection. “How was that a compliment?” he asked, his voice going up several octaves.

“Kisses are only for sweet, kind, beautiful people.” She winked at Roxas. “Something you’ll never get.”

Riku didn’t even bother trying to cover up his laughter. The look on Roxas’ face was utterly hilarious. He looked like he just witnessed something revolting unfold in front of his eyes, which for the blonde might actually be the case.

Riku walked up to Roxas and ruffled his hair. “A compliment.”

The blonde chuckled and swatted his hands away. “Alright, alright. I’ll try to tell you more that you’re an idiotic hunk who has pretty nice hair even though it’s an exact copy of Noct’s.”

Riku raised a brow but smiled, nonetheless. “You know what, I’ll take what I can get.”

No one was surprised when shortly after breakfast the castle corridors were filled with voices calling out for Riku and Roxas. Said teens were in the research lab looking through documents with Even and Naminé. Cloud walked in and pointed at the hallway.

“I don’t know if you guys know this because of the extremely loud voices, but Sora and his friends are here.”

“Oh, we know,” Riku said.

“We’re just postponing the inevitable, Cloud,” Roxas said.

Cloud crossed his arms and chuckled, leaning against the wall. “Right.”

As if on cue, Sora ran into the room and jumped on Roxas. The blonde teen grunted as Sora held onto him. Even though Roxas was annoyed, he still gripped onto the brunette, making sure he didn’t fall off his back. “Do you really have to do this every time?”

“We are bonded by souls, by hearts dear Roxas! We are soul brothers!”

“Please don’t say that.”

About a minute later, Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio walked in. The freckled blonde put a hand to his head. “Sora! This place is a maze and you left us alone to die in it!” Prompto wailed.

“Oh come on! It’s not that bad,” Sora said.

“Sora, I’ve been here for about two years and I still get lost navigating through the castle,” Cloud said.

“Is that why you’re always late?” Even asked.

Cloud looked away. “No comment.”

Gladio walked up to Cloud. “We haven’t met. I’m Gladio.” He held out a hand.

Cloud looked down at it for a few seconds and eventually shook it. “Cloud.”

A look of surprise became evident on Gladio’s face. Ignis then introduced himself as well and seemed to be a little shocked upon seeing Cloud’s face. Then Prompto came up to the ex-SOLDIER and put on a bright friendly smile.

“I’m Prompto.”

Then, one of the weirdest and funniest moments unfolded before their very eyes.

Cloud and Prompto stared at each other with astonished expressions on their faces. They circled each other, looking each one up and down. When they stopped, Gladio, Ignis, Riku, and Roxas broke into a fit of chuckles and giggles.

“So, you’re the friend that Riku and Roxas said I look so much like,” Cloud said with a quick upturn of his lips.

“And you’re apparently some long-lost twin of mine,” Prompto said with a chuckle.

“I daresay they’re even the same height,” Ignis said.

“Similar arms too,” Gladio mentioned.

Prompto looked at the shield with a bit of shock. “Okay now that’s just a creepy thing to point out.”

Sora dropped down from Roxas’ back and came up to the two blondes and looked back and forth between them. “Wow. How am I just realizing this?”

“Cause you’re a dork, that’s why,” Riku said.

“That doesn’t even make any sense you absent minded potato.”

“Ahh, the keyblade wielder and his ridiculous insults that make absolutely no sense whatsoever,” Even said as he continued his work.

“Guess it’s just looks they have similar. They’re complete opposites when it comes to personality,” the silvernette said.

Cloud gave Prompto a contemplative look. “You seem like a pretty cheerful person. Probably had one of those happy childhoods, right?”

Prompto laughed. “Oh no. The complete opposite actually.”

Cloud raised a brow, intrigued. “Really?” He thought for a moment, then, “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

Naminé snorted and Riku rolled his eyes. “Come on Naminé, get your mind out of the gutter.”

Prompto ignored the slight commotion that was happening behind him. “You mean like, backstories?”

Cloud nodded.

Prompto clapped his hands together and rubbed them, as if preparing for some sort of great anticlimactic moment. “Alrighty. Let’s see. As a kid I was lonely and didn’t have any friends. I basically raised myself since my adoptive parents were usually never home. Things got better once I got into high school, but I was alone for most of my life.”

Cloud closed his eyes, racking up his thoughts. “I don’t remember much of my childhood. I do know that I at least had one friend but that’s about it. When I was around fifteen I think, I was experimented on in order to become the perfect SOLDIER.”

Prompto gasped. “Dude, I was created in a magitek factory to become a killer robot soldier.”

Cloud raised his brows at the revelation. “You don’t say. You wouldn’t happen to be from Nibelheim, would you?”

“No, but I’m from Nifelheim.”

“Oh my god. That’s-”

“Almost the same thing just a letter off? Yeah, freaky.” Prompto jumped, a finger in the air signaling that an idea came to him. “Oooo, do you have some sort of royal or high-class person with magical abilities that you are sworn to protect?”

“I mean, Aerith isn’t royalty but she might as well be. She’s the last of the Cetra and she basically is destined to protect the planet. She has some pretty amazing capabilities if I do say so myself.”

“Whoah. She reminds me a bit of Luna now, another friend of mine.”

“As entertaining as this is, we really must be going,” Ignis reminded them.

Riku turned to Even and said, “We’ll most likely be back to help some more. Just message or call us if anything changes with the computer or research.”

Even nodded. “Of course.”

“Well, sorry to leave so quick Cloud, but we’ve got a mission ahead of us,” Prompto said.

“So I’ve heard. Be careful out there. All of you,” the swordsman said.

“Will do.”

Naminé walked up to Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis. She opened her mouth to say something but then thought better of it. Instead, she smiled and clasped her hands in front of her. “Stay safe on your journey, and I hope the next time we meet, we’ll have proper introductions.”

“Indeed Miss …”

“Naminé,” she finished for Ignis.

“Well then Naminé, I do hope we can become better acquainted next time.”

“Me too. From what Sora tells me, you all seem like wonderful friends.”

Gladio went up to Sora and ruffled his hair playfully. “Aww, you talk about us?”

Sora laughed. “Well yeah. You guys are-”

“We should go before Sora starts monologuing about friendship,” Roxas said.

The brunette pointed a finger at Roxas. “You wouldn’t understand cause you’re heartless!”

“Actually, I was a Nobody, but I can see why you would confuse them,” the blonde said with a smirk.

Sora was about to retort when Prompto started pushing him out of the room. “Well this has been fun but like Iggy said, we have to go. Bye everyone! It was nice meeting you all!”

The rest of the gang followed them out, saying their own goodbyes to Cloud, Naminé, and Even. Naminé looked up at Cloud with a rather interested expression. “So, you have a memory problem?”

Cloud sighed, resigning himself to his fate. He never mentioned his problem with his memories to the girl because he didn’t want to risk harming her with whatever dark memories were hidden within him. However, now looking at her with that gleam she had in her eyes, completely determined, he knew that he could not refuse her aid. She would probably bug him to no end anyway.

“What did you have in mind?”

* * *

“You sure we’re heading in the right direction?” Riku asked over the intercom.

“I mean, there’s not really a way to tell. I’m just letting my heart guide me,” Sora answered.

Riku and Roxas had decided to follow the others on their ship just in case they were called back to Radiant Garden. Sora hoped that they wouldn’t need to be called back too soon. He had missed them after all. Riku and Roxas were always off on missions and he understood that they worked really well together, but he worried that sometimes they overworked themselves. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had been home for longer than a day.

It had been two hours since they left Radiant Garden and so far they hadn’t seen a single world. So, they had resorted to casual conversation between the two ships to pass the time.

“Tell your heart to guide us faster,” Roxas whined.

Sora laughed at the blonde’s impatience. “If you’re so in a rush, just tell Mr. Keyblade Master to guide us then.”

A groan was heard from Riku throughout the ship’s speakers. “Stop flaunting my title.”

“Wait, so Riku’s a keyblade master?” Prompto asked.

Sora and Riku replied with “yes” while Roxas muttered an “unfortunately.”

“But Sora isn’t?” Ignis asked in a confused tone.

“Weird right?” Riku said.

“How isn’t he one? No offense Riku,” Gladio said.

The silvernette chuckled. “None taken. I still feel like I don’t deserve the title if I’m being honest. If anything, Sora deserves this title more than I do. He’s saved countless worlds and battled the darkness and even helped me come back from it. Only cause he a failed one exam that he couldn’t take because Xehanort basically put him in some sort of sleep stasis does he not get the title. Apparently, all that he did for all the worlds doesn’t matter, but a stupid test does.”

“Easy there Riku,” they heard Roxas say.

“Sorry. It’s just that you deserve better Sora.”

Sora leaned back in his chair and hummed. “It’s alright Riku. I don’t need a title to know my worth and I’m glad that you got it. You deserve it just as much as I do. You redeemed yourself and not only because you worked like crazy to right your wrongs, but because you battled your inner demons too. You’re one of the strongest people I know Riku. Don’t you ever forget that.”

It was silent for a few moments from both ends. It was not that no one had anything to say. On the contrary, they were thinking over the brunette’s words. They hit home for each of them, maybe not in the exact same way as it did for Riku, but in similar ways.

Ignis was the first to break the silence. “I can see why your friendships are so strong. You manage to make every conversation into a budding moment.”

Everyone broke into laughter over how blunt but true Ignis’ words were. They truly were lucky to have strong friendships like these to keep them going.

The laughter abruptly stopped as they heard a gasp from Sora. He looked at his friends excitedly while pointing out at the never-ending sky. “Guys, look!” Right in front of them was none other than a world, floating by its lonesome. “Ready to land Riku? Roxas?”

“Ready when you are,” Riku said.

Sora gave off a giant grin, his eyes sparkling with adventure. “Alright everyone, buckle up!”

Once everyone was seated, Sora began to ease the gummi ship down toward the world. The ship shook a bit as it entered the new world’s atmosphere.

“Whoah. We okay?” Gladio asked.

“It’s just turbulence,” Donald assured.

However, the shaking steadily increased and eventually alarms began to blare throughout the ship. Sora gritted his teeth and he tried to regain control of the ship while Donald helped from the co-pilot’s seat.

“Riku! Roxas!” he called through the intercom.

“Sora!” Riku’s voice cut in. There was so much static that his words were all jumbled and cut off. “It’s the world’s- throwing off- emergency ma-”

“Riku? Riku?!”

“Oh boy,” Goofy said.

Prompto’s eyes widened, panic written all over his features. “What the hell does that mean?!” he asked in a high-pitched voice.

“It means we better brace for impact!” Sora yelled as the ship hurtled down.

And then there was only white.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You don't know how painful it was for me to make that little RokuRiku scene a daydream. I wasn't originally going to include it but I kept thinking to myself, "This is the perfect opportunity to include a bit of what Riku fantasizes about" and bam, that scene was born.  
> The Prompto and Cloud scene was inspired by none other than my mom who keeps confusing Cloud with Prompto. When I was searching for Prompto's play arts figure she kept showing me Cloud's. And then when I began playing FFVII Remake, she was asking where his other friends were (Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio).
> 
> Funny tidbit I saw on a post on Instagram was that people say Cloud looks like a combination of Noctis' and Prompto's faces and if you put these three characters' faces side by side, you can actually pick out certain facial features that they have in common. Nomura loves making his characters look very similar, doesn't he? (Yes Nomura created the concepts for the FFXV characters and their names before abandoning the project)
> 
> Anyway, please stay safe, sane, and happy! Until next time!
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)  
> [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	11. Let It Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Fourth of July, or as I like to say, Happy Captain America Day!  
> Sorry this chapter is coming a bit later than usual. I couldn't work on fics properly two weeks ago because I was visiting family. And then when I came back, it was my other fic's turn for attention, but fear not! The chapter is here!  
> On a totally unrelated note, Jesse McCartney is completely taking over my life. I didn't know his music was that catchy until now. It was all I could listen to while writing this chapter XD
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)  
> [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_"That was my... my dark side. I gave in to the darkness once. And ever since, it's chased me around in one form or another. The Seeker of Darkness who stole my body... a puppet replica of the shadows in my heart_ _... and now, I'm facing me."_

\- Riku, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance

Prompto opened his eyes and saw that, surprisingly, everyone was okay. He hadn’t passed out. He just figured that if they were going to suffer a fatal crash, he wouldn’t want to see it. Luckily it didn’t seem that bad. They were all still strapped in their seats and it seemed like the ship didn’t suffer any damage from the inside at least.

Oh yeah, and they were upside down.

“Everyone okay?” Gladio asked.

Sora grumbled and undid the buckle on his seat. He fell onto the ceiling of the ship with an ‘oof’. “Yep. Whoah, the ship is really cold. Is that why we crashed?”

Everyone else undid their seatbelts and landed on the ceiling as well. Prompto jumped a little when he felt that the ship was indeed freezing. He crawled over to the windshield and saw only white. “What the hell? Is this snow?”

“Only one way to find out,” Gladio said as he made his way out of the ship.

“Gladio!” Ignis called out. The advisor shook his head as he followed the shield.

Sora eagerly made his way to Prompto and took him by the hand. “Come on Prom!”

The two jumped out of the ship and landed in something soft and cold. Yep, it was definitely snow. Prompto hugged himself and rubbed his arms frantically, trying to give himself some sort of warmth. “Dude! It’s freaking freezing!”

“You can say that again,” Sora said with chattering teeth.

Gladio shrugged. “Eh, it’s not so bad.”

Prompto and Sora looked at Gladio with gaping mouths. “Are you kidding me?!” Sora exclaimed. “You’re not even wearing a shirt! Just a stupid short-sleeved jacket!”

Ignis sighed, his breath coming out in a foggy cloud. “Gladio has never been one to get cold.”

“How?!” the teen asked in disbelief.

“You just gotta ignore it,” Gladio said.

Sora looked at him in shock, then turned to the blonde. “Is he being serious?”

“Unfortunately. So where should we go? There’s nothing but snow here.”

“How about forward?” Goofy suggested.

“Why forward?” Sora asked.

“Cause of the footprints. They lead up the mountain.”

Everyone looked down to see that there were many footprints trailing up the mountain. Honestly, they felt a bit dumb for not noticing them sooner, but could you blame them? Everything looked the same around here.

Prompto groaned as he saw just how high the mountain went. “We gotta go up all the way to the top?”

“We gotta,” Donald said. “They might be able to help us find a Princess of Heart.”

“Well, on we go then,” Sora said.

They only made it a few steps when a strong cold wind hit them. There was so much fog and snow that it was extremely difficult to see. They all braced themselves as they tried to keep going forward. Then, Sora heard something, something familiar.

He turned around in a panic and tried to look for the others, but it was futile. He couldn’t see anything, just white. “Guys?”

The small snowstorm stopped about a minute later. Sora saw that Prompto was just a few steps behind him. Goofy was pulling Donald out of the snow, for he had fallen face-first into it. However …

“Guys, where’s Gladio and Ignis?” Prompto asked, worry in his tone.

“The snowstorm couldn’t have blown them away. It wasn’t that strong. Well, for us at least,” Goofy said while Donald glared at him.

“Where the hell did they go then?”

“The dark corridor. I heard it appear during the snowstorm. Wherever it leads, that’s where they’ll be,” the brunette answered.

“Dark corridor? You think Roxas summoned it?”

“Speaking of Roxas, where is he and Riku?” Goofy asked as he looked around.

Sora realized that there was no sign of another ship anywhere near them. But they were in this world, right? They had been following them so they couldn't be too far, right?

Prompto crossed his arms in exasperation. "So, let me see if I have this right. We crashed onto some unknown world where there is freezing snow for miles and frequent snowstorms, a dark portal appeared out of freaking nowhere and took Gladio and Ignis, the best brains and muscle out of all of us if I do say so myself, and to top it all off, Riku and Roxas crash-landed who knows where on this world. Is that right?”

“Yep,” Sora answered, popping the ‘p.’

Prompto sighed. “It can never be easy, huh?”

“If it was easy you wouldn’t have an epic story to tell Noct in order to make you look cool.”

“You’re right, you’re right.”

Donald began leading the way up the mountain. “Come on. I’m sure the others are fine. They’re strong enough to handle themselves.”

“We’ll find ‘em sooner or later. But right now, we gotta keep goin’. Nothin’ we can do about it now,” Goofy said with a reassuring smile.

As the four walked up the mountain, Sora realized something. “Hey, Gladio was right. Ignoring the cold really does work.”

Prompto laughed. “Well I’ll be damned. The big guy really does know what he’s talking about.”

* * *

It was freezing. That’s the first thought that came to Riku’s head as he rolled over on his back and opened his eyes. His face was burning and, wet? He ran a hand down his face and felt pieces of snow all over. He wiped it off and grumbled to himself.

“Snow. Great.”

He sat up and saw that of course, he was alone. He expected it. After all, he did as Roxas would say, "play the hero." He would do it again though. Sure, he was separated from his friends, but at least Roxas was safe. He knew he was. He had made sure of it.

Now if only he could figure out where he was. There was nothing but snow as far as the eye could see. He did notice that he seemed to be very high up, for he could see a town down in the distance. The town seemed to be standing on a large sheet of ice. Wait, did that used to be a lake? Perhaps the ocean?

He let out a cold breath and ran a hand through his hair. He had no idea what to do. Should he go up or down? There was a town down there but that wasn’t for miles and miles. Sure, he could get there in the blink of an eye if he used his dark powers but Riku wasn’t even considering that option. No way. And if he went up, there was no telling if he would be making progress or just getting himself even more lost than he already was.

He was interrupted out of his thoughts when a group of Heartless appeared. He summoned his keyblade, ready to strike the creatures down. However, the Heartless completely ignored him and ran past him up the mountain. The silvernette became confused but at least now he had a way to go. He ran after the Heartless over a snowy hill and came across a sort of spectacle.

In front of him was a woman with platinum blonde hair in a teal dress. She wore a tiara atop her elegant bun and wore one single turquoise glove on her right hand. She was surrounded by at least twenty Heartless. She held her left hand out toward them and from her fingers emerged a beautiful blue magic that hit the Heartless. They were approaching her faster than she could strike them, so she spun in a circle, magic coming out of her fingers and hitting the ground around her. Sharp icicles emerged from the ground preventing the Heartless from reaching her.

Riku took this moment to strike the Heartless down. He noticed that the dark creatures weren’t paying him much attention. Instead, they were frantically trying to get to the woman.

_Guess I found this world’s Princess of Heart._

The Heartless were mere Shadows so it was easy to get rid of them but once he did, more appeared and headed straight for them. He looked up the mountain and could barely make out the peak. He cursed under his breath as he was about to do something he deemed stupid.

He held out his hand to the woman. She looked at him with apprehension. “Look, I know you don’t know me but more of those monsters are headed our way right now and I’m the only one that can get you away from them.”

The woman looked at the approaching Heartless and back at Riku. She tentatively took his hand with her gloved one.

Riku grasped her hand and held out his other one in front of them. He closed his eyes and concentrated, imagining the peak of the mountain. Once he opened them, a dark corridor appeared in front of him. He turned to the woman who looked a bit spooked. “Don’t let go, okay?”

She nodded and allowed him to lead her into the portal. A few seconds later, they were back outside, only this time they were at the top of the mountain. The woman gasped in not fear, but amazement.

“Thank you,” she said as she retracted her hand and held her left one to her chest.

“No problem. What’s your name?” the silvernette asked as he caught his breath. It had been a good while since he used his dark powers.

The woman looked uncertain. She turned away from him and Riku was sure she wasn’t going to answer his question. He was proved wrong when he heard her respond in a quiet voice. “Elsa.”

The silvernette looked at the tiara upon her head, wondering why she didn’t use her title. She had to be royalty. After all, she certainly looked the part with her attire. He wasn’t going to bring attention to it or even ask her about it. There was probably a reason why she wasn’t addressing herself as royalty.

“I’m Riku. I’m … not from around here.”

“Riku. What a peculiar name. It’s nice albeit a bit strange.” Elsa’s eyes widened as she realized she might have come off as rude. “I apologize. I didn’t mean to-”

Riku chuckled. “It’s alright. I do come from a very far off place anyway so my name would come off as weird to anyone here.” Riku noticed that Elsa relaxed by only the slightest bit but still remained on edge. “So, what were you doing heading up the mountain in this weather, especially by yourself?”

Elsa looked down at her left hand with a sad look in her eyes. “I am a danger to the kingdom of Arendelle. That’s why I’m up here, so I won’t hurt anyone else.”

“How?”

Elsa gave him a quizzical glance but Riku only shrugged his shoulders. “I’m just saying, I’m the only other person up here with you so what do you have to lose by talking about it?”

“I don’t know you.”

“Hey, sometimes that makes it easier. Besides, you look like you need someone to talk to. Being in isolation can drive you a bit crazy. Trust me, I know.”

“Really?”

Riku nodded. "Guess it's story time, huh?" He sat down on the snow, resting an arm on a knee and Elsa followed, sitting with her dress splayed around her. “About two years ago I gave into a dark power and let it control me, consume me. I hurt my friends and almost lost them. In order to try and right my wrongs, I isolated myself from them and worked in the shadows to help them. Unfortunately, I was so focused on helping my friends that I ended up hurting other people and giving into this dark power even more.” Riku clenched his left fist and grimaced at the slight twinge of pain that ran up his lower arm. “I’m so lucky that my friends have forgiven me and accept me for who I am, even my faults. I decided to not use my powers because I’m too scared that it might consume me again.” The teen gave Elsa a small smile. “I recently ended up hurting someone I love, and he still ended up forgiving me in the end. He actually thinks I should embrace my powers and that I’m being ‘dumb old stupid Riku’ and maybe he has a point. This was the first time in a long time that I used my powers. I was scared but I just thought of him, and it didn’t seem so scary anymore.”

Riku drummed his fingers against his knee and couldn’t help but think if Roxas were here, he would be singing “I told you so” but also give him one of his dorky but also stupidly adorable high-fives.

Roxas had chastised him for not using his powers, for not accepting that part of himself. He had told him that he was only using half of his power - light - when he should have been giving it his all. After some time, the blonde stopped but he would occasionally remind the silvernette that it was okay to be himself.

And now, sitting in the snow with a woman who was facing something extremely similar, Riku couldn’t help but think of how much of a hypocrite he was being. Here he was thinking that Elsa should embrace her powers when he was rejecting his own.

_Maybe it’s time I turned over a new leaf._

It was silent for a while after that. Only the howling wind could be heard as it swept up bits of snow into the air. The night sky lit up with beautiful hues of various colors and Riku could only think that Roxas would love it. He hoped that the blonde could see it too, wherever he was.

“The sky’s awake,” Elsa said.

Riku looked over to her. She was looking up at the sky, a small grim smile on her face. “Is that what it is?” An amused smile appeared on his face.

Elsa played with her glove. “It’s something Anna, my sister used to say before I-” She frowned and let out a strangled breath. “When we were kids, I accidentally hurt Anna with my powers. Fortunately, the trolls were able to heal her, but they had to get rid of her memories of my magic. My parents shut me in my room and- I kept myself away from Anna. Today was the first time in years that I stepped outside of my room for my coronation. I couldn’t control my powers though and everyone, including Anna, saw the monster I truly am. That’s why I ran and came here, far away from everyone.”

Riku really wanted to tell Elsa what she deserved to hear. He had a whole speech rolling around in his head, but it wasn’t the right time. She wouldn’t take his words to heart. She first needed to accept and embrace herself. Only then would his words make any sense to her. For now, he decided to settle on a few words. “I don’t think you’re a monster.”

Elsa turned to him in shock, not believing what she was hearing.

“You have a good heart. You obviously care about your sister and your people, so much in fact that you’re here trying to protect them in your own way. That’s not what a monster does, Elsa. You aren’t a monster. You’re a good person.”

Elsa gave him a small smile and stood up, patting the snow off her dress. “Well Riku, I guess that makes both of us good people.” She held out a hand to him, her ungloved one this time.

Riku took it and stood up, nodding at her. Her hand was cold but not like snow. It was a different type of cold that didn’t make him shiver. It was a comfortable chilly feeling that her skin had, one that was probably a product of her ice magic. “Maybe it’s time for us to stop letting fear control us.”

The next few moments were perhaps the most unusual yet spectacular that Riku had ever lived through in his entire life, and that's saying a lot. Elsa had suddenly begun to walk further up the mountain, leading Riku by the hand. Out of nowhere, she started to sing. Now don't get Riku wrong, her singing was beautiful, but it was very spontaneous and something that caught him off guard. After all, people didn't just break into song. Perhaps it was part of the laws of this world or something.

Elsa took off her glove and cloak, running further up ahead while Riku had followed behind. All throughout, Elsa had unleashed small tendrils of her ice magic. Nothing too intense, just small flourishes of snow that sparkled in the air. It wasn’t until they reached a ledge where she really showed just what she could do.

Elsa held her hands out and created a staircase out of frosty snow. When she stepped on it, it began to solidify into beautiful blue ice with intricate designs imbedded in it. Riku couldn’t help but laugh as he ran after her up the staircase.

When they reached the other side, the platinum blonde spun around and began to raise ice from the ground. When Riku looked up and around him, he realized that she was creating a castle. Tall walls of cold blue ice formed around them and from above, a gorgeous ice chandelier was formed.

The teen couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as Elsa took off her tiara and threw it across the room. She let down her bun into a braid as her dress began to sparkle and transform. If Riku was being honest, it took his breath away. Elsa looked like a completely different person. As she strutted to the balcony and belted her song, he couldn’t help but think that she looked absolutely beautiful, powerful, and confident.

Riku wanted to look like that (well maybe sans the dress and all), sure of himself and proud of who he is. It was something that he was getting better at for a long time, recognizing that he was worth something.

He held his palm out and focused. He didn’t want the energy to be true darkness that came from negative emotions. No, true darkness was what overtook him. Instead, he wanted the darkness that Roxas used, the familiar kind, not the one used in anger, hatred, sorrow. His thoughts naturally strayed to Roxas as he concentrated and before he knew it, an orb of dark energy appeared in his hand. It was black but emitted electric blue wisps that made the energy seem less frightening and rather a bit pretty to look at. This was the darkness that he was comfortable with.

He snuffed the energy out and saw that Elsa was standing in front of him, a bright smile on her face. “Your power, it’s beautiful.”

Riku’s grin couldn’t get any bigger. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

And it was all thanks to Roxas.

* * *

“I’m gonna kill him. I’m gonna kill that stupid idiot.”

Roxas had been grumbling to himself for the better part of twenty minutes. He was clutching his arms as he trekked through the deep snow. It was freaking freezing and Roxas was not a happy camper.

One of his stupid best friends had thought that it would be a great idea to try and make a quick repair to the wing of the ship as it was falling through the sky. Roxas had yelled at Riku and even threatened to kill him if he didn’t sit back down in his seat.

Damn Riku’s inability to listen to him.

The silvernette had indeed made that quick repair, allowing Roxas to safely land the ship. However, when he landed and got out of the ship, he saw no sign of Riku which meant only one thing: The idiot went flying off the ship and was god knows where.

So now Roxas was by himself in a strange world that apparently was just freaking snow. Honestly, how much snow could this place have? If anything, Roxas would be perfectly happy if he never saw snow after this ever again.

He missed the hot sun from Destiny Islands and its golden rays of sunshine that he complained about. He missed the hot sand that he cursed at whenever he touched it. Roxas would never complain about the heat ever again.

He shielded his face from the sudden surge of cold air hitting him. It was so strong that he had to brace himself just to keep from falling. Despite the strong wind, he kept making his way forward ever so slowly. Once the wind calmed down, he lowered his arms to see a beautiful sight.

He walked upon a frozen lake surrounded by trees with long frozen leaves that dangled from their branches. Small waterfalls were now still ice that shined and shimmered.

Okay, so maybe the cold wasn’t so bad after all.

Roxas snorted as a thought came to him. He’d have to wait until later to voice it though. That would sure get some chaos brewing.

Right now though, he had to pay attention to the talking snowman in front of him.

Wait, talking snowman?

The blonde rubbed his eyes and looked down to see, yep, a snowman waving its arms and talking to him. Roxas let out an undignified yelp and summoned Oathkeeper. He took a few quick steps back and pointed the blade at the snowman. “What the hell?!”

The snowman held his hands out toward the keyblade. “Oooo how pretty. How did you do that? Do you have magical powers too?”

“Stay away from me you demon-spawn!”

The snowman giggled. “I’m a snowman silly, not a … whatever you just said.”

Roxas was contemplating whether he should strike the snowman head-on or cast fire magic at it when another voice rang throughout the valley.

“Olaf! Where are you?”

A young lady emerged from the trees followed by a man. She was wearing a winter dress with a cloak, boots, mittens, and an ushanka-hat. Roxas was almost jealous that she was wearing warmer gear than he was. And if that wasn’t enough, the man was in full winter garb that looked even warmer.

“Oh, hello,” the young lady greeted. She gave him a soft smile and kind eyes. “I see you’ve found Olaf,” she said as she pointed at the snowman.

“It has a name?” Roxas asked baffled.

“I know right? I was just as confused as you are,” the man said.

"Kristoff, he has the same 'unmanly blondeness' like you!" Olaf said.

Roxas looked like he was about to retort when the woman stepped in and let out a nervous chuckle. “Sometimes Olaf says things without knowing what he’s saying. Your hair is fine. It’s different, but I like it.” She gave him a reassuring smile. “I’m Anna by the way. This is Kristoff,” she gestured to the man. “And you’ve already met Olaf.”

“Uh, hi.” The teen gave off an unsure wave as he still stared at Olaf.

Kristoff chuckled. “Creepy huh? You get used to it.”

“Right.”

Anna stepped closer to Roxas and tilted her head. “And you are?”

Roxas shook himself out of his freaked-out daze. “Roxas.”

“Well Roxas, you’re a long way from Arendelle. What are you doing out here?”

“I’m actually looking for my friends. We’re not from around here and we lost each other.”

“Must be pretty bad at navigating if you ended up in the mountains,” Kristoff mentioned.

Roxas was so going to give Riku hell when he found him. “Something like that,” he said with a forced smile.

“How about you come along with us?” Anna suggested. “We’re trying to find someone too. Maybe we’ll run into them together. Plus, with this crazy weather, it’d be dangerous to let you wander out here by yourself.”

Roxas wanted to laugh for he could handle a little crazy weather by himself thank you very much. However, the affairs of worlds usually happened to line up with their interests so he would probably run into the others sooner if he went with Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf.

“Alright. Let’s help each other.”

Anna clapped her hands. “Great! We’re heading up the North Mountain. It’s going to get colder so …” She took off her cloak and strapped it around the teen. “There.”

Roxas made to unstrap the cloak. “It’s alright. I’ll be fine.”

Anna grabbed the teen's hands. "Nope. We can't have you freezing now, can we? And don't say you’re not cold because I see you shivering.”

Roxas chuckled. “Can’t get anything past you then? Well, thank you.”

"Don't mention it. Now, let's go find some missing people."

Anna’s cheerful attitude was refreshing, especially in this situation where he was separated from his friends on a world that was out to kill him with hypothermia. The blonde couldn’t help but smile at her optimism.

It really wasn’t that bad here after all.

* * *

“Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

Gladio opened his eyes to see a hand being held out to him. He took it and was pulled up to his feet. He blinked away his blurred vision and put a hand to his head.

_Did someone knock me out?_

To his left, the person that helped him up was doing the same with Ignis. The person, a man, turned to the two of them and gave them a concerned glance.

“Are you two alright?”

Ignis was the first one to speak. “We are now. Thank you.”

“How did you get here?”

Gladio furrowed his brows as he tried to recall what had happened. All he remembered was being in the snowstorm and then his vision going black. “Honestly, we don’t know. We got separated from our friends in some snowstorm.”

“Allow me to take you back to the castle. Your skin is as pale as … well, snow.”

Ignis nodded. “That’s very kind of you.” He held out a hand and the man shook it. “My name is Ignis.”

Gladio shook the man’s hand next. “Gladio. Thanks for the help.”

The man gave them a small smile. “I am Prince Hans of the Southern Isles. It’s my pleasure to take in anyone in need of help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Funny enough, I actually had no idea how to go about writing Riku and Elsa relating to each other. I knew they were similar in certain aspects but I really wanted something more. Then I realized that Riku does have powers too but I didn't write them in the last fic so I thought, maybe he's been rejecting his powers. And bam! I had my relatable moment between the characters which also led to more possible character growth from both of them.  
> I've said this before but I could just write Riku all day. I absolutely love his character the more I write him and he is steadily becoming my favorite KH character now. My six year old self would be extremely disappointed in me XD  
> Anywho, stay safe my lovelies and don't stop enjoying life <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)  
> [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	12. "Ice" To Meet You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just finished editing this chapter cause I am in a rush to post it. I have to leave in a few minutes to San Diego, AGAIN, but luckily for you guys I was able to finish this on time.  
> So with this chapter there were a number of different ways it could have gone if I hadn't written the previous chapter the way I did. I had planned this chapter very differently - I actually have a notebook where I've written down every single world and plot line that may happen in this fic - but I had to go with this version. There was another way I wanted to go but it just wouldn't work out because certain characters were doing certain things and some characters were in certain places and etcetera. I was finally able to create a scenario that kind of incorporated part of my original idea and I like it. I hope you guys do too.  
> This is a lengthy chapter and can get confusing if you don't keep track of what characters are doing what and where they are so just keep that in mind.
> 
> Anyway, enough of my rambling. Enjoy the chapter! 
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)  
> [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“Love is putting someone else’s needs before yours.”_

\- Olaf, Frozen

“In order to put an end to this winter, the Queen must be brought back to Arendelle.”

Ignis took a moment to process all the information Prince Hans had just told him and Gladio. So the queen, Queen Elsa, had some sort of ice magic and accidentally unleashed an early and rather fierce winter across Arendelle and ran off into the mountains. Her sister Princess Anna had gone off to look for her while the prince stayed behind to ensure that the people were taken care of. And Elsa was the only one that could restore summer but alas, she wasn’t here.

“How long ago did the princess leave?” asked Gladio from his seat at the dining table.

“Not too long ago. I’d say about two hours or so,” Hans replied.

"And neither she nor her guards have returned?”

“Princess Anna went by herself. She insisted on it.”

That got Ignis to raise his brows in surprise, but he quickly hid it by taking a drink from his steaming mug of tea. It was very unusual and unorthodox for a princess, or any member of a royal family to go any place on their own. Why didn't any of the guards go with Anna and why was Hans so perfectly fine with the princess being out in the dangerous freezing mountains alone? Something just didn't add up here, but Ignis was not going to question royalty.

He looked at Gladio to see that the shield had a similar look of surprise as well, but it was better hidden. To Hans, it looked like Gladio was thinking over something, but Ignis could see it for what it really was. Disbelief.

Although Hans didn't decipher the true emotion behind Gladio's face, he did see that his demeanor changed, if only slightly. "Is something the matter?"

Gladio took a few more seconds before replying to the prince as to not seem so in a rush to answer him. That would only look suspicious. "Sorry, Your Majesty. I was just thinking if there was any way we could help out. I know we just only arrived here, and you don't know us, but I think I speak for both myself and Ignis when I say that we couldn’t bear the thought of this winter becoming far worse for the people of Arendelle. If you would allow us, we would gladly aid you in your search for the queen.”

Hans put a hand to his chin in thought. Gladio spared a glance at Ignis and gave a small nod. Ignis returned it, trusting the shield in his plan, whatever it may be.

“I’m not quite sure-”

Just then, a servant came into the room in a hurry. “Excuse me Your Majesty, but a palace horse has come in from the mountains.”

“What?” Hans asked in surprise.

Hans left the room quickly while Gladio and Ignis followed. They exited the castle into the town and saw a decorated horse in distress surrounded by some guards and townspeople. Hans jogged up to it and held his hands out, showing that he meant no harm to the poor creature. He began to stroke it in an attempt to calm it down.

“Where is this horse’s rider?” he asked.

"There was none, Your Majesty," a guard said. "The horse came running from the mountains in a panic."

“You recognize this horse?” asked Gladio.

Hans nodded. “It’s the one Princess Anna left on.”

Ignis frowned. “If only her horse returned, then that means that she may be in danger.”

Hans didn’t say anything at first. Instead, he kept stroking the horse, looking down at the floor in thought. Eventually, he looked up at the two with an expression that showed that his mind was made up. “Gladio, Ignis, I may need your help after all.”

Ignis gave a firm nod. “Of course, Prince Hans. How may we be of service?”

After Hans organized a meeting amongst some other dignitaries and guards that were willing to help, Ignis and Gladio were escorted to guest rooms to stay for the night. Everyone had agreed that they would begin the search for the queen tomorrow since it was already close to nightfall.

Once they reached their rooms which were conveniently next to each other, Gladio and Ignis thanked the servant and waited for her to leave. Once she was out of sight, the two began to talk in hushed voices.

“Gladio, I really do hope I didn’t misinterpret those looks earlier. You are planning something, correct?” Ignis asked.

Gladio scoffed, acting as if he was offended by Ignis’ questioning. “Of course I am Iggy. Why else would I play nice with this shady prince?”

“What do you suppose he’s planning? Perhaps to take over the kingdom of Arendelle?”

“Maybe. It would make sense why he just let the princess, his fiancé, go off by herself to look for the queen in the mountains. After all, the princess did leave him in charge so maybe he doesn’t want her to come back.”

“But he does need the queen to end winter or else he’ll look like an incompetent ruler. But let’s say she does restore summer and has control over her magic, then she will technically remain in power.”

“Unless he’s planning to end this winter and the queen’s reign.”

“Are you suggesting that Hans would kill Elsa?”

Gladio shrugged. "I'm just saying that a power-hungry royal might just do anything to secure the throne.”

“We mustn't let that happen. After all, the queen or the princess may be a possible Princess of Heart.”

"Didn't think of that, but you're right. Either way, we can't let another power-hungry bastard hurt innocent people just for his own gain. I'm tired of dealing with those types."

“No rest for the wicked I assume.”

Gladio chuckled. “Guess not.”

And so, the two agreed to go along on the search tomorrow but only to make sure that neither Anna nor Elsa would be harmed. They bid each other goodnight and went into their respective rooms, knowing that tomorrow would not be an easy day for them.

* * *

_“Riku.”_

The silvernette sat up, summoning his keyblade. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and looked around the room. No one was there. It was just him.

He sheathed the blade and ran a hand through his hair in confusion. Had he been dreaming? But the voice sounded so real and familiar. He knew that voice. It was right on the tip of his tongue.

_“Riku.”_

There it was again. He got up and slowly made his way out of the room. It was the middle of the night after all and he didn't want to wake Elsa who was in her room sleeping.

_“Ri- Riku.”_

The voice almost sounded like it was coming from somewhere outside but at the same time like it was something he was hearing internally. Still, he followed the voice to where he believed it was leading him which happened to be the balcony.

When he stepped out, he saw that the sun was barely rising.

“Guess it wasn’t nighttime after all,” he said to no one in particular.

_“Riku.”_

He heard the voice as if it was right in front of him. But there was nothing in front of him, well except for the rising sun. He reached out toward the sun as if the voice was somewhere there. "Who are you?" He was leaning further out, trying to reach for someone he couldn’t see.

“Riku?”

The teen stopped and turned around to find Elsa looking at him with a concerned expression.

“Is everything alright?”

Riku briefly looked back at the rising sun. Who had the voice belonged to and why was it calling out to him? He felt like he should know who the voice belonged to, but he couldn't exactly recall. The voice had sounded like a soft whisper so he couldn't tell who it was.

“Yeah,” Riku answered Elsa. “Just thought I heard someone out here. Turns out it’s nothing.”

“Hmm, did it perhaps sound like a whisper?”

Riku blinked, surprised that the queen was able to guess that correctly. “Actually, yeah it did.”

Elsa stepped out and stood next to the teen, watching the sun. “They say that the wind can carry the whispers of others. If someone whispers your name into the wind, their voice will be carried along to you.”

“It didn’t sound like anyone I know though.”

“Sometimes the wind distorts the whispers, so they sound slightly different when they reach you. Perhaps your friends are calling out to you.”

“You really think so?” Riku asked with a hopeful gleam in his eye.

“I really think that it’s a possibility.”

A small smile graced the silvernette’s lips. It was nice to think that maybe those whispers had been from his friends. It was even nicer to think that maybe it was Roxas calling out to him, but that was probably wishful thinking.

“So, I know why I’m up at this godforsaken hour. Why are you?”

"I guess I'm just used to it. Throughout my childhood, I often woke up extremely early just because I was scared that my powers would get out of control during my sleep due to dreams or nightmares. I guess I am still scared of losing control.”

“I know what you mean. But hey, at least there’s no one here for you to fear hurting.”

Elsa gave him a dubious look. Riku shook his head and gave her a reassuring smile. “Elsa, I’ve been through far more dangerous events in the past two years. Hell, just last year I was turned into an actual physical demonic monster and I still managed to survive. So, don’t worry about me.”

The blonde still looked unsure. “I don’t know …”

“Then let’s put it this way. Are you scared of my powers?”

“No.”

“Do you think I’ll hurt you with them?”

“Of course not.”

“See. That’s exactly how I feel about you and your magic.”

Elsa smiled at him gratefully and placed a hand on his. "Thank you, Riku. Your friends are lucky to have such a kind-hearted person like you by their side."

“Now if only you could tell Roxas that,” he said jokingly.

Elsa laughed and Riku could only describe the sound as beautiful because it came from someone who hadn’t laughed in the longest time. To finally release that emotion, that joy into the world, was a blessing in itself. “When we find him, I will gladly tell him that.” She began walking back into the castle but turned her head back last minute. “Want to practice magic with me?”

Riku nodded and followed the blonde inside. He wouldn’t admit it, but he felt a bit excited at the thought of getting to use his powers again. It was strange how just yesterday he had feared and despised his dark powers, but now he was ready to learn more about them and see what he could really do.

He almost laughed as he realized just how funny destiny was. He got separated from his friends only to run into someone that he could relate to, that he could help and learn from at the same time.

Before he closed the balcony door, he looked up at the sky and chuckled.

“You’re really funny sometimes, you know that?”

* * *

“I hate snow,” whined Sora as he continued to trek through the snow higher up the mountain.

They were climbing up a particularly steep mountain which was causing them to get tired faster. The footprints they had been following earlier had suddenly turned into two pairs, giving Sora hope that either Riku or Roxas was with this other person. Unfortunately, once the second pair of footprints came into view, not much later both trails of footprints disappeared.

This got Sora thinking that perhaps Roxas was the one that had run into this mysterious person that was climbing up the mountain. After all, he had the power to summon dark corridors so he might have summoned one for the both of them. This would definitely explain why the footprints suddenly stopped.

So now they were going up the mountain, hoping that they would find them at the top. After all, the first set of footprints had just been going up. Sora assumed that the top of the mountain was the destination that the mysterious person was trying to reach.

But damn it, it was so tiring to reach them.

Prompto glanced at Sora and gave him a sympathetic smile. “Don’t worry Sora. We’re probably not that far from the peak.”

“Of this hill, or the mountain?” Donald asked in exasperation.

Prompto sighed. “It’s times like these where I wish I knew how to warp.”

Goofy chuckled. “That sure would make things easier.”

A few more minutes passed and they finally made it to the top … of the hill.

Prompto put his hands to his knees and tried to catch his breath. “Oh sweet Shiva, or whatever entity is on this world, please give us a sign that we’re almost there,” he groaned.

No one was expecting anything to happen of course, so when a dark corridor appeared, everyone was on high alert. A hooded figure stepped out and everyone summoned their weapons.

“Wow. All this for me? I’m flattered.”

Sora rolled his eyes at the snarky feminine voice that came from the hood. “Oh no,” he groaned.

“What? What was the ‘oh no’ for?” Prompto asked, risking a quick glance at the teen.

“This is Larxene. She’s one of the most annoying and sadistic members of the Organization.”

“So, you _do_ remember our time at Castle Oblivion,” Larxene said as she pulled down her hood. Sora wasn’t even surprised to see the golden eyes that replaced her once green ones.

“Unfortunately,” he muttered under his breath.

“Wait, were you the one that separated Gladio and Ignis from us?” asked the freckled blonde.

Larxene walked up to Prompto and gave him a sinister smirk. "Now you're getting it." She held his chin with her fingertips and squinted at him as if inspecting him. “Wow, I can see why the prince likes you.”

It took a lot of self-control for Prompto to not shiver in disgust at the woman’s touch. He slapped her hand away and snarled. “Where the hell is he?”

Larxene’s eyes glimmered as if Prompto’s anger pleased her. “Now I can’t tell you that, but don’t worry. Your boy toy is safe for now.”

“What do you want?!” Donald demanded.

“Are you here to make sure this world’s ‘story’ plays out too?” an irritated and impatient Sora asked.

“Yes and no,” the electric blonde answered. “You see, I was sent here to make sure the princesses’ stories were played out so they could realize their true power. Unfortunately, that’s taking a bit too long for our taste so I’m here to speed things up.”

“Speed things up?” Goofy asked.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Yes. Are you deaf or something? So at first, I was gonna spread you guys out more but as luck would have it, Roxas and Riku already found the Princesses of Heart and are getting them that much closer to realizing their true potential."

Sora’s eyes widened. “There’s more than one Princess of Heart here?”

“Two to be exact. Your blonde twin is with one and your silver teenage disaster is with the other. And then your two other buddies are in Arendelle, or this world's kingdom."

“Why would ya send them there?” asked Goofy.

"There's one more pawn on the board that has to play his part with these princesses' stories. I needed someone to not only help this idiot prince play his part but to make sure that the princesses don't get harmed. And that's where muscleman and glasses come in."

“Why are you telling us all this and not killing us right here?” Donald questioned, a fierce look in his eyes.

“Cause those aren’t my orders. As much as I would like to make you all bleed a bit, I’m here to just speed things along.”

“So, you’re here to help us,” Prompto said.

“Unfortunately,” the woman said as she crossed her arms in annoyance.

“And let me guess, you told us your plan so we could put some trust in you.”

“Yeah, that’s basically it. For a blonde, you’re pretty smart.”

Sora was about to say something rather nasty to the woman when Donald thankfully cut in. “And what do you want us to trust you with?”

“Directions. Simple as that. All you have to do is take the path to the left. The right one will get you to the top too, but it’ll take forever, and you won’t find Roxas either.”

Sora scoffed indignantly. “Sure. We’ll just trust you, an Organization member that tried to kill us before and forced one of my friends to use her powers on me against her will. No thanks. We’ll just go our own way.”

Larxene gave the boy an unamused look and shot her hand up above the path on the right. From her fingertips, lightning struck the mountain walls and giant boulders and snow collapsed, effectively blocking off the path.

“Well now it looks like you only have one way to go, so my job here is done.” She summoned a dark corridor and turned around, walking into it.

“Wait!” Sora called out.

But Larxene ignored the boy and no sooner did the portal close.

Sora wanted to scream in frustration but he quickly realized that that would probably be a terrible idea, considering they were in the mountains and could cause an avalanche. He couldn’t figure out what the Organization wanted with the Princesses of Heart. If they weren’t going to take them, then why bother making sure their stories played out or their power was revealed? Sora couldn’t wrap his head around it.

"Do you think she's actually helping us or leading us to an early death?" Prompto asked as he eyed the path.

Sora didn't trust Larxene one bit, or any of the Organization members for that matter. However, he didn't think that they were trying to kill him just yet. They hadn't attacked him all this time, why would they start now on a random world? Still, that didn't mean that Larxene wasn't trying to send them down the wrong path.

“Guess there’s only one way to find out,” the brunette said as he began making his way to the path.

“You’re gonna kill yourself. Get down.”

“You can’t tell me what to do.”

Sora smiled as he instantly recognized one of the voices. He broke into a run and came across a blonde man and a red-haired woman looking up at the mountain wall to see none other than Roxas climbing – or at least attempting to climb – the wall.

Sora laughed at Roxas’ stubbornness. Leave it to the blonde teen to go against anyone just for the sake of being rebellious. “Hey Roxas!” he called out to the boy.

This not only got Roxas' attention but the man and woman's attention as well. Roxas turned his head slightly to try and look at the brunette. "Sora? That you?"

“Yep! Prom, Donald, and Goofy are here too!”

The redhead approached the group and smiled at them. Sora suddenly remembered what Larxene had said and realized that this woman was one of the Princesses of Heart.

“You must be the friends that Roxas has been looking for,” she said.

“Well, some of them anyway,” Sora said.

She giggled. “I’m Anna. This is Kristoff and-”

“Hi! I’m Olaf and I like warm hugs!”

Sora turned to his left to see a snowman running to them. Wait. A running snowman?

The teen crouched down to the snowman, or Olaf’s level, completely astonished. “Whoah! How cool!”

Olaf looked up at him, waiting for something. After a few seconds of no one saying anything, the snowman proceeded to ask, “And you are?”

Sora blinked and realized that he hadn’t introduced himself. “Whoops, sorry. I’m Sora. This is Prompto, Donald, and Goofy.” He pointed to each person accordingly and they all gave friendly smiles or waves.

“Anna, I found a path that leads exactly where you want it to go! Isn’t that great?”

Anna let out a sigh of relief. “That’s great Olaf. Now Roxas can finally get down.”

Olaf cupped his stick hands around his mouth or at least tried to. "Hey, Roxy! Come down! There's another way!"

Sora and the gang burst out in laughter at the name. Roxas just made a disgruntled noise and ignored them. “Hell no!”

“You’re not even halfway up. Just jump down,” Kristoff said, obviously just wanting to get going already.

"Yeah. I'll catch you, _Roxy_ ,” Sora said, still laughing.

“Nope. I don’t trust you to catch me at all.”

Prompto walked up to the wall, chuckling. “You don’t trust your former other half?”

“Again, hell no. I learned my lesson not once, but twice back at the islands. Sora can’t be trusted to catch anyone from a deadly height. The first time, I was climbing a tree and Sora said he’d catch me. Me, trusting my former other half, jumped. Sora completely miscalculated where I would land and so I faceplanted the sand. The second time, he begged me to trust him and said that he wouldn’t let me die. Since I am such a forgiving person, I decided that I would give him a second chance. Again, he stood in the complete wrong spot. Luckily, Riku literally ran in and caught me that time. But never again am I trusting Sora to catch me!”

The freckled blonde shook his head in amusement. “Don’t worry Roxas, I’ll catch you.”

Roxas hesitated. “Promise?”

“Promise.”

Prompto was too busy focusing on Roxas to notice the “aww” that Anna sounded. The teen, after a bit more hesitation, jumped away from the wall and fell into Prompto’s arms.

“See, I caught you. Just as I promised.”

Roxas exhaled as he was let down. “Thanks.”

“How cute! You didn’t say anything about your father being here,” Anna said.

Once again, laughter broke out among Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Prompto and Roxas looked at each other, then back to Anna.

“He’s not my dad,” Roxas said with a confused expression, pointing at the freckled blonde.

“He’s not?”

Prompto laughed, finding the thought of the shorter rebellious blonde as his son, amusing. “I’m 21 and have a boyfriend. There’s no way that Roxas could be my son.”

Anna’s cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “Oh, I’m sorry! You two just look alike.” She looked between the two of them. “Brothers?”

“Nope,” they answered at the same time.

“Cousins?”

“Nope.”

“Not even uncle and nephew?”

“Nah uh.”

“Hmm. So you two really are just friends that aren’t related in any sort of way?”

“Weird huh?” Sora popped in.

Prompto raised a brow at Sora. “Roxas was your other half. If anyone is related here, it’s you two.”

Anna became even more confused than before. “So, you two are related?” she asked referring to Roxas and Sora.

Sora answered with a beaming “yes” while Roxas replied with a strict “no.” This got the two teens to get into an argument that was barely coherent to everyone else, for they kept talking over each other. Prompto couldn’t help but laugh at the hilarity of the argument, for Roxas looked agitated while Sora was just acting like his usual cheerful self.

“Speaking of other halves, you haven’t happened to see Riku, have you?” Goofy suddenly asked.

Roxas stopped mid-sentence during one of his retorts to Sora and narrowed his eyes at Goofy. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

"Well, you and Riku are as thick as thieves. Where one goes, usually the other one follows."

Roxas crossed his arms and huffed. “The idiot risked his safety so that I could land the ship. I have no idea where he is.” Roxas looked around, just realizing that they were still short on the number of people in their group. “Speaking of missing, where’s Ignis and Gladio?”

Sora took Roxas to the side and explained in a hushed tone their encounter with Larxene. Prompto, Donald, and Goofy were left with Anna, Olaf, and Kristoff.

“So, what are you guys doing up in the mountains with this crazy weather?” Prompto asked, trying to deflate some of the slightly uncomfortable silence that had befallen them.

“I’m looking for my sister, Elsa,” Anna replied.

“Why would she come up here? It’s freezing,” Donald said.

Anna let out a nervous laugh. “Well, the cold doesn’t really bother her much.”

And so, Anna explained what had happened with Elsa back in Arendelle and how she fled into the mountains. Prompto took in every word and in the end, he could only feel sympathy for the queen. He knew the fear of being labeled as a monster just because you were born a certain way or were different from everyone else.

Prompto highly suspected that Elsa was the second Princess of Heart and if that was true, then he really hoped Riku was looking after her. After all, Larxene did say that Riku was with the second princess.

“She’s not a monster,” Anna stated firmly. “She’s just scared. She ran because she’s scared to hurt her people, to hurt me.”

“If anything, she sounds pretty cool. I mean ice powers, how cool is that?” Prompto said, eyes lighting up.

“I know right? Almost makes me jealous,” Kristoff said.

“And you sure this Hans fellow can be trusted to look after the kingdom?” Goofy asked.

Anna nodded. “I’m sure.”

“Even though she just met him less than 24 hours ago,” muttered Kristoff.

The redhead elbowed him in the side. “It’s true love!”

Prompto, Donald, and Goofy all gave each other “the look.” That wide-eyed, raised brows, not really a frown but not a smile either type of look.

Luckily, Olaf, bless his little heart (did snowmen even have hearts?), broke the tension by waving his arms and asking, “So are we going? Elsa is just around the corner.”

“Yep! Sorry. Roxas was just catching me up on the whole Elsa situation,” Sora said as he jogged up to them, the blonde teen not far behind.

“Great! Let’s go see my sister,” Anna said, a slight skip in her step.

* * *

“Can I be honest with you?”

Elsa looked to the boy, confusion overtaking her features. “Of course.”

“I think you should go back to Arendelle.”

“Riku-”

“Just … just hear me out. Please?”

Elsa looked like she was about to refuse, but instead, she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, as if expecting to receive a blow. "Okay."

“I know that you’re here to protect the ones you care about, but I can guarantee that the longer you stay here, the more you’ll lose yourself.”

Elsa’s brows furrowed. “But how can that be? I've never felt freer than I am now, more relieved."

“It may feel like that in the beginning Elsa. You feel like you’re doing the right thing, but as time passes and you’re all alone, you start to forget who you are, because believe it or not, the people that you love and love you back, make up a part of who you are. And if they’re gone … well, you don’t really care about much anymore.”

“That’s what happened to you? When you said you hurt your friends and this Roxas person?”

"Yeah." Riku let out a humorless chuckle. "Just being away from my friends for such a short time is already getting to me." He opened his palm and a flame of dark aura appeared. He looked at it, the flame reflecting in his cyan orbs. “That magic you have isn’t your power. Your real power is your friends, your family. They’re the ones that push you forward.” He snuffed the flame out by closing his hand. “Don’t let your fear control you.”

“If not fear, then what?”

The corners of Riku’s mouth twitched up into a small smile. “That’s up to you.”

The platinum blonde looked at her hands, a pensive expression on her face. “You said that when you use your power, you think of Roxas.”

A blush appeared on the silvernette’s cheeks. “Yeah.”

“And you said you love Roxas.”

Riku groaned and covered his face. “Your point?”

Elsa smiled at the teen and a sudden realization came upon her. However, before she could voice it, a knock resounded throughout the castle.

* * *

“Whoah, now that’s ice.”

Sora couldn’t agree more with Kristoff.

The path that Olaf had led them down opened up to reveal a tall beautiful ice castle at the top of the mountain. It took everyone’s breath away.

"You think she's here?" Roxas asked sarcastically.

Prompto ran his hand across the railing of the staircase. “She created all this? It’s beautiful.”

Anna began to make her way up the stairs but then stopped and addressed the rest of the group. “Could you guys just wait here for a bit? I don’t want her to feel overwhelmed or scared with me bringing in a bunch of people she doesn’t know.”

“But, but it’s a palace made of ice! Ice is my life!” Kristoff said in a disappointed tone.

“Please? I just don’t want to mess things up again.”

Roxas felt sympathy for the redhead. He really did. Not because he had been in her shoes necessarily, but because he knew someone that had been, or maybe still was. “Go. We’ll stay out here and if you need any help, we’ll come in.”

Anna gave the blonde teen a grateful look and knocked on the door. Surprisingly, it opened not a moment later.

“Huh, that’s a first.” Anna stepped into the icy castle and the door closed behind her. “Elsa?” She called out as she continued walking into the space. She steadied herself as she almost slipped on the smooth icy floor, slight panic flooding through her system for a few seconds.

“Anna?”

The redhead looked up to see none other than Elsa and a boy with silver hair coming down the stairs. A smile lit up Anna’s features and she ran up to the two, completely forgetting that she almost fell a few seconds ago. She looked at her sister and noticed how regal she looked. Not regal in a royal way, but more in a powerful independent way. “Whoah, Elsa you look different. I mean, in a good way obviously. I wouldn’t have said otherwise.”

A soft laugh escaped Elsa's lips. "Thank you. I-" She looked back at the boy who was standing a few steps behind her. He gave her an encouraging smile and a nod. Elsa took a breath and looked back at Anna, a genuine smile appearing on her face. "I'm really glad to see you, Anna."

“Really?” She beamed at hearing her sister’s words. The blonde didn’t know how long Anna had been waiting to hear them. “Elsa, I’m really sorry. If I had known sooner, I wouldn’t have yelled at you and caused you to do something that made you feel so uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay Anna. You don’t have to apologize. I’m the one that has to. I should have told you about my powers long ago, but I was just so scared. I’m sorry.”

Anna wasn’t mad. How could she be? Elsa was only doing what she thought was right. It wasn’t her fault. “You were just protecting me and the kingdom.” Anna fumbled with her mittens and suddenly became nervous. She had to tell Elsa about the winter that she brought upon them. “Speaking of the kingdom, there’s a small problem.”

Elsa’s smile lessened as she heard these words. “What is it?”

“Well, you accidentally set off an eternal winter.” Anna held out her hands in a placating gesture as she saw her sister begin to panic. “But that’s okay! You can just undo it!”

A small flurry of snow began to surround them. The silver-haired boy placed a hand on Elsa’s shoulder. “Elsa, look at me.”

She turned to him, a look of pain on her face.

“Take a breath, okay? You’re letting your fear control you. Don’t let it. You’re stronger than that. Just calm down and hear Anna out. You don’t even know what she’s going to say.”

Elsa’s breathing calmed and she nodded at the teen. “You’re right. You’re right.” The flurry had gradually disappeared around them and Anna felt relief hit her. “Anna, I don’t know how to undo it. I can’t.” Her voice was on the verge of breaking.

Anna shook her head. “I know you can. We just need to figure it out together, that’s all.”

Elsa felt a warm feeling in her chest. She felt loved and accepted. That was all she had wanted her entire life. “Okay.”

Anna held her arms open and Elsa hugged her tightly. How long had it been since they had last held each other like this? How long had it been since they acted like real sisters? Anna knew it had been far too long, but now they could move forward from that together.

Anna looked up from Elsa’s shoulder to see the silver-haired boy smiling at them. She pulled away from the hug to address him. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Anna, and you are?”

“Riku.”

“Ohh, so _you’re_ ‘idiot Riku’. I don’t know why he sounds so angry when he talks about you. You’re a very pretty boy.”

Riku blinked, his cheeks heating up. “Excuse me?”

Just then, the giant ice doors opened and a figure ran in.

“We have to go. There’s this small army headed toward us and-” The figure halted in his sentence once he came upon the group.

Riku’s smile disappeared and was replaced with a look of astonishment. Anna looked back and forth between Riku and Roxas while Elsa smiled at the two, obviously knowing something that the redhead didn’t.

And then Roxas looked angry. He glared at the silvernette and pointed an accusatory finger at him. “You!”

Riku’s face became impassive and he rolled his eyes. “Later. You said something about an army?”

Roxas gestured his head to the door and ran out, followed by Riku, Anna, and Elsa. When they stepped outside, they saw Sora, Prompto, Donald, and Goofy taking a defensive stance. Kristoff and Olaf seemed a bit unsure of what to do so they stayed behind the group. In front of them was a group of men, about fifteen or so, marching up to the castle.

Riku made his way in front of Elsa and Anna to get a better view. The two sisters were still in the doorway, hidden from the small army.

Anna peeked over to see that the army was led by none other than Hans. She let out a soft gasp in surprise. “Hans?”

The prince stopped a few feet in front of Sora and the gang and held up a hand to signal his men to stop. “Gentlemen, we are here to see the queen. If you would please let us through.”

Anna saw that Sora looked at two of the men by Han's side, a man with glasses and another that was much taller and muscled. The man with glasses held a finger to his lips and Sora nodded. Did he know them? Were they Gladio and Ignis, the two friends that were still missing?

“What do you want with Queen Elsa?” demanded Sora.

“We just want to take her back to Arendelle so she can restore summer. That is all.”

Sora narrowed his eyes. “And if she doesn’t want to go with you?”

“You seem to be mistaken. I wasn’t asking.”

“Why don’t we just come out and put a stop to this before it gets out of hand?” Anna whispered.

“If he was here to take Elsa back to Arendelle in a peaceful manner, he wouldn’t need all those men with him,” Riku said.

“Maybe it’s a precaution?” Elsa suggested.

Roxas shook his head. "If they were going to avoid conflict, they would just run. He brought these men because he's planning to either take you out of here by force or kill you."

“Hans would never do that!” Anna said in a harsh whisper.

“There’s only one way to find out. Stay here. I have an idea.”

Elsa and Anna looked at Riku as the blonde teen went down the stairs.

“Do his ideas usually work out fine?” asked Anna.

“I trust him, so I think we’ll be okay,” Riku said, then muttered under his breath, “Hopefully.”

Once Roxas reached Sora, he said, “Queen Elsa isn’t in the castle. It seems she fled.”

“What about-”

“The princess? There was no sign of her either.”

Hans narrowed his eyes. “Who are you and why are you so intent on finding the queen and the princess?”

“Us? We’re just mere bodyguards.” Roxas gestured to himself, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. “To His Royal Majesty, Prince Prompto of the United States.”

"What a strange-sounding country," Elsa said.

“It’s all an act. Prompto isn’t really a prince,” Riku said.

“Oh. He just has that royal feel then.”

“His boyfriend is an actual prince so maybe that’s why.”

Their attention was brought back to the scene as they heard Hans’ voice.

“I’ve never heard of this United States.”

Ignis leaned into the prince. “Actually, Your Majesty, it is on the complete opposite side of the world. That might be why you have not heard of it.”

“And what does the Prince of the United States want with the Queen of Arendelle?” Hans held up his hand as Roxas was about to answer. “I believe the prince can speak for himself.”

Prompto stilled at hearing that. He looked over at Roxas who just gestured for him to say something. What was he supposed to say though?

_Alright, calm down Prompto. Just think. What business would a prince from the other side of the world want with the queen? What would drive him to come all the way over here and then search for the queen when he doesn't even know her? Unless maybe he did?_

He stood up straighter and held his head high. A confident look overtook his features and when he spoke, it was with determination and conviction. “Although it is clearly none of your business, Queen Elsa and I have been in touch over correspondence for many years.”

“All these years? Surely that’s a lot of writing just to keep in touch with another royal?” Hans raised a brow in disbelief.

Prompto scoffed. “Come now Your Highness. Haven’t you ever been in love?”

“Are you suggesting that you and the queen have had a relationship all these years?”

“I’m not suggesting anything officially.”

“So, you will do anything to ensure the queen’s safety?”

“And the princess’ as well,” the freckled blonde said with finality.

“I see. In that case …” Hans unsheathed his sword and pointed it at Prompto. Just as quickly though, Ignis and Gladio summoned their weapons and held them at Hans.

“I suggest you drop your weapon, Prince Hans,” Ignis said.

“Unless you want to lose your head, I suggest you follow his suggestion,” Gladio growled.

Hans let out a humorless laugh. "So, these are the friends you were looking for. I'm impressed with your lying skills."

“Just as good as yours, huh?” Gladio inched the broadsword closer to Hans’ neck.

Hans smirked at the quip and dropped his sword.

What Roxas found very weird was that the other men in Hans’ army were not doing anything. They weren’t reacting to what was happening before them. They were just there in a daze, watching everything that was happening before their eyes. This seemed very familiar to Roxas, and he realized last minute why.

“Kill them, and find the queen,” Hans ordered.

“Oh shit,” Roxas said under his breath.

The men behind Hans suddenly transformed into Neoshadows. Gladio and Ignis jumped back, leaving Hans to pick up his sword and point it at the group. The Neoshadows dove underground and there was a brief panic, for no one knew where the Heartless would pop up.

“Shit!” Roxas said as his eyes roved about the area.

Riku ran down the steps followed by Elsa. “You should stay back with Anna.”

“No. I can help,” the queen said as she took a defensive stance next to Riku who had caught up to Roxas.

Hans walked up to the three and gave a mischievous smile. “Queen Elsa. I knew you were in there. Just needed something to snuff you out.”

“Prince Hans. I’d say it’s a pleasure, but I’d be lying,” Elsa said, her tone angry yet collected.

“We can either do this the easy way with you coming quietly, or we can do this the ugly messy way where I forcefully take you back to Arendelle. The choice is yours.”

“And let me guess, in both scenarios they die.” Elsa’s fingertips began to frost over, getting ready to use her magic.

“They must. They know too much.”

“Then we’re going to have to do things the hard way.”

Hans shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He made to attack Elsa but Riku intercepted, blocking the attack. Around them, Neoshadows popped out from the ground and began attacking. Looking closely now, Roxas saw that there were about twenty Neoshadows. Their work was certainly cut out for them, not to mention that they also had Hans to deal with.

He assessed the battle quickly and saw that Sora and Goofy were fighting the Neoshadows head-on while Prompto and Donald attacked from a small distance since their weapons were better suited for that. Ignis and Gladio were fending off the Heartless from Kristoff, Olaf, and Anna, who had come out into the field sometime when Roxas hadn't noticed. Anna, bless her heart, was throwing snowballs at the Heartless which surprisingly got them to stagger and be a bit confused.

A handful of Neoshadows suddenly surrounded him and Elsa. Roxas almost laughed at how familiar the situation was, only that this time it wasn’t Riku he was back to back with, but a queen with ice magic.

“Are you ready?” Elsa asked.

Roxas was surprised that the female was so ready to take on these dark creatures that she had never seen before. He smirked, deciding that he liked the queen already. “Oh, definitely.”

They made a pretty good duo if he did say so himself. Because Elsa’s magic could work for ranged attacks, she was able to strike at the heartless with her magic without them having to approach the two. Roxas worked more to attack the ones that got too close to either him or the platinum blonde. A few hits from Oblivion and Oathkeeper would send the Neoshadows back a few feet.

They were much stronger than he remembered them initially being. There must have been some dark force that they were feeding off of, and Roxas didn’t doubt for a second that it was Hans.

They were tough foes, but not impossible to defeat. However, with every Neoshadow they defeated, another took its place. Roxas figured very quickly that this was not a battle that they were going to be able to win. It would be pointless to stay here and try to fight off every single Heartless. As long as Hans was here, the Neoshadows would keep on appearing.

Riku was still fighting off Hans on his own, but Hans seemed to be a formidable foe. Dark energy seemed to be radiating from the prince, a bad sign for them. The blonde teen knew that the only way to survive this was to flee.

“Riku, we’re not gonna last long if we stay here and fight all day!” Roxas called out as he sent another Neoshadow flying back.

“I was thinking the same thing.” Riku struck Hans, sending him staggering back and held his free hand out, summoning a dark corridor. “Go! Make sure everyone’s safe!”

Roxas was surprised that Riku used his powers, but he couldn’t let that distract him now. He had to get everyone out of here. “Elsa-”

“I know what you’re about to say and the answer is no. I’m not leaving until everyone else does.”

Roxas grit his teeth. Curse her good heart and stubbornness. It reminded him of a certain silver-haired idiot. “Fine.”

He focused his power on a fire spell that circled them and took out the Neoshadows that had been surrounding them. His adrenaline was the only thing keeping him from not feeling spent after that attack. He ran up to Sora who was just finishing off a Neoshadow.

“Sora, get everyone through that dark portal now!”

The brunette looked at said portal then back at Roxas. He narrowed his eyes at him. “You’re coming too right?”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I?”

Sora shrugged and rolled his shoulders. “Just making sure you’re not sacrificing yourself for the greater good or something like that.”

“Please. That sounds more like you and Riku.”

Sora went to where Gladio, Ignis, Anna, Kristoff, and Olaf were while the blonde teen guided Prompto, Donald, and Goofy to the portal.

“Hurry! I don’t know how much longer Riku can keep it open.”

Not a second sooner had those three gone through the portal did Sora come up with the others.

“Just go through there and stay together. Keep walking toward the light,” Sora said as he ushered the others in. Sora was about to step through, but he stopped and stared at Roxas, waiting for something.

“Sora, go. I’ll make sure Riku gets through too. Elsa, go with him.”

Elsa shook her head. “I said I would go until everyone else did. That includes you and Riku,” she said. She looked at the brunette. “Sora, please go. I’ll make sure your friends don’t do anything reckless. Please make sure my sister and the others are safe.”

Roxas wanted to laugh at how stupid Sora looked. He was gaping at Elsa. Like, actually gaping, the whole eyes wide and open mouth combo. He looked completely ridiculous.

The blonde couldn’t blame him. Elsa was beautiful and just exuded power and regality. But come on, he wasn’t openly staring at her. Sora really wasn’t good at hiding his emotions.

When Sora finally registered Elsa’s words, he blinked and shook his head, as if clearing away some sort of haze. “Don’t worry. You can count on me.” He gave off a smile before he turned and headed into the dark corridor.

Elsa turned just in time to shoot an icy spear through a Neoshadow that was in midair heading toward Roxas. The teen looked at her with wide eyes, surprised at her fast reflexes. “Thanks.”

She smiled at him and ran toward Hans and Riku, the blonde teen following closely behind. When they reached them, it was to find Riku fending off attacks while shooting orbs of dark aura with his free hand. Hans was a better-skilled swordsman than any of them took him for because he kept dodging and blocking nearly every attack. And Roxas noticed that the more dark energy Riku used, the more exhausted he looked.

“Stand back,” Elsa said to Roxas as she walked up to Riku’s side. She held her hands out and shot out ice magic at the ground in front of them, raising an ice wall that blocked them from Hans.

“Let’s go,” Roxas said.

The three headed to the dark corridor but unfortunately, Neoshadows kept popping up. Thankfully, they were so close to the portal. Elsa ran through first and Riku and Roxas felt relieved that everyone else was safe.

Just as they were a few feet from going through the portal, a Neoshadow rushed at them and tried to swipe at them.

“Look out!” Riku called out as he threw himself at Roxas and wrapped his arms around him. The two flew through the portal and Riku turned them so he would be the one to hit the floor once they flew out of the portal. Roxas held onto Riku’s jacket and closed his eyes, for he didn’t want to get disoriented.

The next thing Riku felt was cold snow. They had exited the portal. He grunted and held out a hand, closing the corridor so nothing else could travel through. He looked down at the head of blonde hair that was still pressed against his chest.

“You okay?” the silvernette asked.

Roxas shook and sat up, still on the other boy. He looked angry, like really angry. He clenched his teeth and grabbed the collar of Riku’s jacket, shaking him. “I’m gonna fucking kill you! How stupid can you be?! Honestly?! What idiot thinks, ‘ _Oh, I’m just gonna fix the exterior of the ship_ as it’s fucking falling out of the sky?!’ And then you have the audacity to take on stupid Sideburns on your own? And to make it worse, you almost just got attacked by a stupid Heartless just to shove me into the portal?! And why the hell aren’t you saying anything?!”

Throughout Roxas' complaining, Riku just let him manhandle him. He had an impassive look on his face like he just accepted death.

_Yep. This is fine._

Prompto laughed at the scene before him. “I think you broke him, Roxas.”

“Ahh, so _that’s_ Roxas,” Elsa said with a thoughtful smile.

This snapped Riku out of his daze and he looked at the female with wide eyes.

“What do you mean _that’s_ Roxas?” asked the blonde teen.

Riku sat up and basically picked Roxas up off him and sat him down on the snow. “Nothing! She means absolutely nothing!”

Sora kneeled by Riku and looked at him closely. “You okay Riku? Your face is really red.”

Riku, the poor boy, had no words because his brain was complete mush right now. Anna, good sweet Anna, was the one that saved the poor boy from his misery.

“Of course his face is red. He just landed in snow.” The princess winked at Riku and he let out a sigh of relief.

Gladio crossed his arms and let out a whistle. “How did the party get so big?”

Sora stood, pulling Riku up with him. He gave a concerned glance to his best friend, for he was swaying just the slightest bit and his eyes seemed to be fighting to stay open. Just for good measure, he grabbed onto the boy’s arm, holding him in place. “You get used to it,” he answered Gladio.

“Gawrsh, we sure are a long way from the ice castle. Where are we now?” Goofy asked.

“I saw the little houses and poofed us here,” Riku drawled. He turned to Roxas and giggled. “Nice cloak. It’s pretty, like yoooou.”

Roxas furrowed his brows in agitation and stood, poking Riku in the chest. “You’re lucky that you’re out of it cause if you weren’t, I would be kicking your ass right now.”

Riku giggled again and placed a finger on the tip of the blonde’s nose. “Boop.”

Roxas slapped his finger away and stomped past Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis who were chuckling at the whole ordeal. He took a good look at where they were and realized that they were in a town of some sort. There were houses, statues, and gardens. What really stood out was the big castle that seemed to loom over the whole town.

Anna held out her arms, smiling at the group.

“Welcome to Arendelle.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, that was a doozy of a chapter, wasn't it? Arendelle is surprisingly a difficult world to write about just cause it's snow and snow and snow XD  
> If y'all have any questions or are confused about anything, don't hesitate to ask! Whether that be in the comments, Tumblr, or Discord, I'd be happy to talk about the fic. After all, we're not even halfway through yet. I've got half a notebook worth of ideas waiting to be published.
> 
> Stay safe, be kind, and spread love! Until next time <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)  
> [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	13. All You Need Is Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chilly chapter! Hehe, see what I did there?
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“When he sees the heart in something, it then becomes real. When a connection seems broken, he may have the power to mend it. He has touched countless hearts, he has accepted them, and he has saved them … All Sora needs to do is be himself and follow wherever it is that his heart takes him. It is the best and only way.”_

\- Ansem the Wise, Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance

“So just from your first meeting with him, you could tell something seemed suspicious about Prince Hans?” Elsa asked as they made their way through the town. Fortunately for them, no one seemed to be out and about, probably due to the cold weather.

“Yep. Guy isn’t as slick as he thinks he is,” Gladio responded.

"We've had our fair share of … shady people come into our lives, especially in Prince Noctis'," Ignis said.

“Princess Anna-”

“Just Anna is fine,” the redhead said.

Gladio nodded. “Anna, I don’t see how you didn’t find Hans acting unusual.”

“It’s not my fault! I just met him that day so I didn’t know him well.”

“And you were still going to marry him?” Ignis asked, slightly amused.

Elsa smirked to herself while Anna just blinked back at the advisor. “I’m technically still a teenager so I have no idea what I’m doing with my life.”

Kristoff scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure being a teenager has nothing to do with making such a hasty decision.”

Anna scowled at the mountain man and turned around to face the rest of the group. She walked backward as she spoke to them. "Sora, Riku, Roxas, you're all teenagers, right?"

Sora and Roxas answered “yes” while Riku responded with “unfortunately.”

“So, let’s say you met a complete stranger and you thought they were ‘the one’ for you. Would you two get engaged that day?”

“No?” Sora answered.

“Nah uh,” Roxas replied.

“Hell no,” Riku said.

“What?! But why? Don’t you all believe in love?”

“Of course we do,” Sora said. “It’s just that we’re all still teenagers.”

Anna seemed relatively confused by the brunette’s answer. Riku decided to clear things up.

“From where we come from, teenagers don’t usually get married. Most parents actually don’t allow their children to get married until they’re adults. And even then the couple usually dates, or courts for a good amount of time before deciding that they are meant to be together for a lifetime.”

“Huh. Maybe I should try that dating thing. Are you guys dating anyone?”

There was a chorus of “no” from the three boys but the way they said it seemed like they were trying really hard to seem disinterested in her question, which meant …

“But you want to.”

Their faces turned beet red and Anna couldn’t help but laugh. Prompto came up to Anna’s right, causing her to turn back around.

"Oh, Anna. Those three have far more complicated love lives than you can imagine," the freckled blonde said.

“Hey! Your boyfriend is kidnapped!” Roxas said.

“Not to mention that you and Noct had been pining after each other for years before finally admitting your feelings to one another,” Ignis mentioned.

“Oh Iggy, why must you attack me so?”

“It is in the job description I’m afraid.”

It wasn’t long until they reached the castle gates. The guards were hesitant at first to open them upon seeing the queen, but after Anna reassured them all was well, they let them in.

Once they stepped inside, Anna and Elsa were bombarded with questions from other dignitaries, especially some guy from Weselton that most of the group decided they didn’t like.

“Enough of this!”

Everyone became silent at the queen’s demand. Well, everyone except that Weselton guy.

“And why should we listen to a monster?” he asked in a disgusted yet fearful tone.

Elsa was surprised at just how many people … no, how many of her friends were about to come to her defense. Kristoff looked ready to punch the man in the face, Roxas growled and took a step forward but was stopped by Riku (who seemed to be controlling his anger toward the duke rather well), and Sora and Goofy were holding Donald back as he brandished his wand. Of course, Anna was about to say something to the duke when Elsa held her hand up.

With all the regality and composure she could muster, Elsa addressed everyone in front of her.

“You ask why you should place your trust in me, and I completely understand why. The manner in which I handled the situation at my coronation was far from appropriate, but know that my actions were completely accidental. I meant no harm and I certainly did not intend to frighten you all.

"I ran because I feared my powers and I did not want to put anyone in harm's way. However, by running, I left the Kingdom of Arendelle without a queen, and for that, I am truly sorry.

“Now, I have realized that Arendelle needs me more than ever and I am ready to give all of myself to the kingdom. Yes, my powers make me different, but they do not define who I am.”

It was silent for a moment and Elsa began to think that maybe the kingdom wasn’t ready to accept her.

One person began to clap, then two, four, seven, until everyone, dignitaries, guards, and servants alike, were applauding her. She was even glad to see that the Duke of Weselton was slowly clapping for her.

And then, they all bowed to her. She never felt prouder of herself than at this moment. She smiled and turned back to her friends and sister only to see that they were bowing as well. Riku looked up from his bow and gave her a smile.

Elsa mouthed a “thank you” to the teen before addressing everyone again.

“I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. But now I must address another matter, one that is far more urgent.”

Everyone stood from their bows, ready to hear the queen out.

“Prince Hans is set on taking over the kingdom. He allowed my sister to travel alone in hopes that she would never return. He attacked me and my companions in the mountains.”

Gasps of shock were heard.

“We,” she gestured to her friends, “have a plan to capture Prince Hans, but it will not be possible without your help.”

A dignitary with a French-sounding accent stepped forward. “I believe I speak for everyone here when I say we are at your service, Your Highness.”

Elsa nodded in acknowledgment. "Prince Hans will come here asking for me. You must tell him that you chased me out of the kingdom and that you saw me last heading for the fjord. Once Prince Hans is there, my companions and I will take him prisoner and bring him back here, ready to be shipped back to the Southern Isles."

“But Queen Elsa, wouldn’t it be much easier to capture Prince Hans here with the help of the royal guards?” a guard, the captain it seemed, asked.

“Unfortunately, Prince Hans has somehow acquired control over dark creatures known as the Heartless. If we were to capture him here, I fear that he would unleash those creatures in the town. If we capture him at the fjord, we will be able to avoid any of the townsfolk from getting hurt.”

After a couple of minutes of talking among themselves, the dignitaries and guards nodded in approval.

“You can count on us, Your Majesty,” the captain of the Royal Guard said.

"You all have my thanks," Elsa said. She turned to her friends and with a determined nod. "Let's go."

* * *

There was something eerie about being in a pitch-black space, especially one that had no sound, no smell, not even a sense of hot or cold. It was beyond uncomfortable.

But Riku and Roxas said that being here was fine as long as they were there.

That made Olaf feel only a little bit better. He wasn’t used to being shrouded in darkness after all. But they had to hide and wait for Elsa’s call. Then they could jump out and stop this Hans person from hurting Anna and Elsa.

“Anyone else getting annoyed and creeped out by the complete lack of anything here?” Kristoff spoke, decidedly breaking the silence.

“I’m so glad you said that Kristoff, ‘cause I hate this place,” Olaf said. It had been fine going through a dark corridor for a few seconds when they had to get to Arendelle but staying in one for minutes made him uneasy.

“Guys, we’re trying to listen,” Roxas said.

“Listen? To what? There’s nothing here.”

“For Elsa’s signal,” Riku said.

“Again, I fail to see how you can hear her when we’re in this dark creepy abyss.”

“If I focus on where I had summoned the dark corridor, I can listen in to what Elsa’s saying.”

"Dark corridors leave behind a small connection for a short period of time, which is why the person that cast it can still hear or feel certain things from that place. Hopefully, Elsa will signal us before the connection is lost," Roxas further explained.

Kristoff scratched his head, dumbstruck. “I’m starting to think that when you guys said you weren’t from around here, you _really_ meant you weren’t from _around here_.”

Prompto let out a nervous laugh. That’s a conversation for another time.”

Riku’s head suddenly perked up and he put a hand up in the air. “Shh. I think I hear something.”

* * *

Elsa stood on the frozen fjord, eyes scanning everywhere. She was on edge, for she had no idea when Hans would show up or where he would be coming from.

Yes, she had her powers to defend herself, but Hans had a disposal of Heartless. She feared that even if she did call for her friends, they would not come in time.

_No Elsa. No more fear. No more doubt._

She had to believe in them because they believed in her.

“Elsa, funny seeing you here.”

Elsa turned her head to see none other than Hans walking toward her.

“Funny?” she asked with a glare.

“A queen kicked out of her own kingdom by her own people? It is amusing to think about.”

“Only someone as cynical as you would think that.”

Hans unsheathed his sword and pointed it at the platinum blonde. “You do know what happens next, don’t you?”

Elsa clenched her fists, calming her anger so that it wouldn’t get the best of her. “Yes. The question is … do you?”

Hans visibly looked confused and his grip on his sword faltered. “What?”

Not a moment too soon, a dark corridor opened behind Hans, and Donald and Goofy jumped out, tackling the prince to the icy floor. Kristoff came out next, kicking the sword out of Hans' hand and picking it up, pointing it down at the prince. Gladio appeared by the blonde's side and clapped him on the shoulder before summoning his broadsword.

“Not too shabby,” he said.

Everyone else came out, pointing their weapons at Hans. Anna ran up to Elsa and hugged her while Olaf waddled up to Hans.

“This is Hans?” asked Olaf.

“Yep,” Gladio said.

The snowman slapped Hans' forehead and pretended to dust his stick hands off. "That's for being a terrible excuse of a human being."

Hans growled, darkness seeping out from him. “You think this is over?”

Donald and Goofy jumped off Hans, for the darkness burned them.

“I will claim that throne!”

A fierce wind hit everyone and sent them flying back a few feet across the ice. The only ones that weren’t affected were Hans, Anna, and Elsa.

Sora was the first to get up. He ran to the two sisters but was stopped by a clear barrier. The boy grit his teeth in frustration, instantly knowing that it wasn’t Hans that was behind this but …

“Larxene!” he yelled.

The electric blonde appeared and gave a mock sympathetic smile. “What’s the matter? Great keyblade wielder can’t get past this?”

“Ew, it’s you,” Roxas said as he stood up.

“The hell do you want?” Riku growled.

Larxene gave a sly smile. “The only way to ensure that the Princesses realize their true power is by having them fight their own battles against the darkness. Pretty smart idea, don’t you think?”

“You’re gonna get them killed!” Donald angrily exclaimed.

Larxene shrugged. “And if they do die, then that means they were worthless to us in the first place.”

Sora threw his keyblade at her but before it could hit her, she disappeared into the darkness.

“Is it wishful thinking to hope she’s a friend of yours?” Kristoff asked nervously.

“She’s a- she’s a-”

“Bitch,” Roxas finished for Sora.

“Pain in the ass,” Riku added.

Olaf ran up to the barrier, giving a worried look in Elsa and Anna’s direction. “How are we gonna help now?”

Ignis sighed. “I’m afraid in this case, we can’t.”

Kristoff sighed. I should have given Anna the sword. At least she would have something to defend herself with.”

Prompto suddenly let out a gasp that got everyone’s attention. “Quicksilver!”

“I’m sorry?”

“My gun, Quicksilver! I dropped it when that wind knocked us back!” He ran up to the barrier and squinted. He then jumped in excitement. “It’s right there! Right behind Hans!”

“If we can get Anna to notice the gun and pick it up, they’ll have a better chance against Hans,” Riku said.

* * *

“Your friends can’t help you now.”

Anna was not only disgusted but horrified at the sight before her. Hans' eyes were completely black with dark wisps seeping out. He removed his gloves only to show that his fingertips were a dark bloody red color. The rest of the skin on his hands were black. His whole being emitted darkness.

“It’s you that needs help, Hans. You’ve become a monster,” Anna said.

A long and rather threatening-looking sword materialized in his hand. The tip of the sword was dark red which faded into a dark blue and then dark purple. The hilt was completely black.

Anna knew at this point that she was just talking big talk, and she had no doubt that Hans knew it too. She had no weapon. The only one that could fight against Hans was Elsa. She worried that Hans’ dark power would be too much for her to handle though.

“That may be, but at the end of this, I’ll be the one to walk out of here alive and graciously offer to rule over Arendelle.”

Anna really wanted to laugh in the prince’s face and tell him that Arendelle wouldn’t take him, for they knew what his intentions were. She bit her tongue though, for if she spoke of this information, there was a chance that he would unleash Heartless on the kingdom.

“Hans, I don’t want to hurt you, but if I must, I will,” Elsa said.

Hans smirked and spun his sword. “Then by all means, Elsa.” He then proceeded to swing his sword at the queen.

Elsa was anticipating that the eager prince would attack first. She raised an ice wall that caught the sword at first, but after a few seconds of the sword being stuck, the ice broke into small pieces. The platinum blonde was surprised at first. The sword should not have been able to cause the ice to shatter. Then, Elsa remembered that this sword was made of darkness. If it could do that to ice, who knew what it would be like against human flesh?

Hans slashed at her again and she jumped back, barely missing the tip of the blade. Elsa shot Hans’ leg with a burst of ice magic, encasing his leg in ice.

Hans shook his head and let out a dark chuckle. “Really Elsa? You think a little ice is going to stop me?” He hit the ice with his sword, causing the frozen cast to shatter.

“Hans, leave her alone!” Anna yelled.

The prince threw his sword at the princess. She immediately ducked and the blade flew over her head.

“I’ll be with you momentarily Anna,” Hans said as the blade materialized in his hand.

Anna was absolutely seething. Hans didn’t see her as a potential threat at all. Anyone else would have been relieved, but not Anna. She wasn’t useless. She knew she wasn’t. She just had to figure out a way to help her sister.

She looked around, searching for anything that she could possibly use against the prince. Her eyes landed on Olaf who was frantically waving his hand while he sat atop Sora’s shoulders who was sitting on Gladio’s. When the snowman saw that he had her attention, he pointed toward something. Anna’s eyes followed the direction to land on something shining on the icy floor a few yards away from her.

Anna looked back at Hans, making sure his attention was diverted from her. He was currently busy blocking attacks of ice magic that Elsa kept sending his way.

Figuring that that would keep Hans busy enough for her to grab the object undetected, Anna ran as fast as she could toward it. Just as she reached it, she slipped but managed to fall forward on her hands, sliding across the ice. As she slid past the object, she quickly reached out and managed to snatch it up.

As she slowed down, she looked at the object in her hands to see that it was the weapon Prompto had been using. What had he called it again?

"Gun," she said to herself.

Anna knew that the gun worked somehow like a crossbow – to shoot projectiles at a target from a distance – although Prompto’s gun was much faster.

She remembered how Prompto had held it. The gun had been away from him and at chest-level, well from what she could tell at least. There was a small trigger, no doubt to fire the projectiles.

She stood and held the gun up, closing one eye to focus better. She took a deep breath and held it.

_Come on Anna. You got this._

She exhaled and pulled the trigger. The projectile went flying so fast that she almost didn’t see it. It went flying further and further and …

It completely missed Hans.

Anna gasped as now all eyes were on her, especially Hans’ bottomless dark orbs.

“Well, well, seems like you’re not as useless as I thought,” Hans said as he began to head toward her.

Anna was internally panicking. She had completely missed the first shot but that was because she had not been prepared for the recoil of the weapon. If she was going to take another shot, she would have to ground herself and have a firm grip on the gun.

She once again took a gunner’s stance and aimed at the prince. She fired only to miss by a few inches.

_Wow. This is so much harder than I thought. How does Prompto do this?_

The prince was getting even closer now and Anna was aware that her sister was telling her to run while shooting ice magic in Hans’ direction. Ice wall after ice wall appeared in front of the prince but just as quickly as they appeared, he destroyed them.

Anna couldn’t shoot him while he was moving. If she could find a way to get him still for a few seconds …

Her eyes landed on her sister and it hit her.

“Elsa!” she called out. “Freeze his legs!”

Hans let out a deprecating laugh. “Really Anna? You know that won’t stop me.”

“It’ll stop you for a few seconds, which is all I need.”

Hans’ smile fell and his eyes widened with a late realization. All too quickly, Elsa froze his legs. Anna took aim and fired.

And this time, she got him.

Her shot landed just below his chest and something amazing happened.

The bullet, as she would soon learn to call it, glowed a bright white. It emitted a strong blinding light that didn't seem to bother her or Elsa. Tendrils of light spread from the bullet wound and covered Hans' entire body, all the while he screamed in agony. The light traveled to his eyes, making them glow a fierce white before they returned to their original brown.

Hans collapsed to the floor and Anna ran to his still body. She put her fingers under his nose and sighed in relief when she felt him breathing.

Anna turned to her sister, smiling. “He’s alive.”

Elsa unfroze his legs and let out her own sigh of relief.

And then she saw the princess go completely still and watched as her eyes glowed white.

Elsa walked up to Anna and reached out to her, worry taking over. “Anna?”

Before she could even place a finger on the redhead, Elsa’s vision went white and she became completely still.

And then she saw blue.

* * *

Sora felt so relieved when he saw that the sisters were able to defeat Hans, and not only that, but they managed to do it in a way that didn’t involve killing him.

“Do guns always do that?” Kristoff asked.

Sora knew he was referring to the light that the bullet released in Hans. The brunette had been just as surprised at seeing the power it unleashed at first, but after thinking it over, he saw it for what it was. “That wasn’t the power of the gun. It was the power of their hearts, of Elsa and Anna’s.”

“Their hearts are that strong?”

“They’re Princesses of Heart. Their hearts are only of pure light.”

Olaf laughed in glee and jumped up in the air. “I knew Elsa and Anna were special. They’re so full of love.”

“And hope,” Roxas said.

Sora couldn't contain his smile as he kept looking at the two sisters. He had been really worried that Hans would somehow win in the end. Yes, he had faith that they would be victorious in the end, but there was always that tiny part of him, that human part that thought about the what-ifs. He couldn’t help but worry about his friends. He only wanted the best for them after all.

After a couple of minutes, Sora's smile turned into a confused frown as he noticed that the sisters had been standing completely still for some time. He reached his hand out and felt that the barrier was gone.

“Guys, they haven’t moved in a while,” the teen said.

He ran to Elsa and Anna, everyone else following. When he got to them, he saw that Anna and Elsa were staring up at the sky but that wasn’t what shocked him to the core.

No, it was their eyes. They were completely white and glowing brightly.

“Elsa? Anna?”

He was wondering if he should touch them or shake them out of whatever was happening, but then he remembered that this was light, not darkness. When Gothel’s Heartless had been defeated, Rapunzel said that she had heard a voice telling her that she was a Princess of Heart. Perhaps this was what was happening with Elsa and Anna?

“What’s happening to them?” Kristoff asked, worry evident in his face and tone. He looked like he wanted to reach out to Anna but held back.

“It’s light so it can’t be bad, right?” Roxas asked with a hopeful tone.

“Should we wake them up or snap them out of it?” Prompto asked.

“I’m not sure,” Sora said. “Riku?” He turned to the older boy.

“Why do I have to make the final decision?” the silvernette asked with a raised brow.

“Because you’re older and full of more knowledge and wisdom.”

“So you only admit it when it’s convenient for you.” Riku shook his head but had a tiny smile on his face. “Let’s wait another minute or two. I don’t wanna risk waking them up from this state and accidentally causing them harm.”

Everyone nodded, agreeing with the teen. Sora noticed that Kristoff still did not seem completely at ease, but he nodded, nonetheless.

They didn’t even have to wait a full minute until Elsa and Anna rapidly blinked, their eyes returning to their original color. The two sisters shared a knowing look and nodded, turning to face the group, particularly Sora and the gang.

“So, we’re Princesses of Heart,” Elsa said.

Sora nodded. “I’m guessing some mysterious voice told you?”

“Not a voice. A woman, well, more like a goddess, I think. She said her name was Shiva,” Anna answered.

“You met Shiva?” Prompto asked in amazement.

“An astral? I did not realize that they could communicate with people in other worlds,” Ignis said.

“What did she want?” Riku asked.

“She told us about the power we possess and that we’re in danger. There were also three other people there with us. They were Princesses of Heart too,” Elsa said.

“Shiva said that we had a part to play in the upcoming war … that you would lead us to it.”

It took a moment for Sora to realize that Anna was addressing him and only him. He looked around as if she was speaking to any of his other companions. Once he was completely certain that she was speaking to him and only him, he turned back to her.

“Me?” he asked, pointing to himself. “Why me?”

Riku clapped his best friend on the shoulder. “Aren’t you the key that connects everything?”

“That’s exactly what Shiva told us!” Anna said somewhat excitedly.

“So I’m assuming this is where we ask that difficult question, right?” Gladio asked the teens.

Sora looked up at Riku once again but this time with puppy dog eyes. Riku just crossed his arms and shook his head.

“You’re the key. You ask,” Riku said.

Sora sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. He gave the sisters a weary yet nervous look. “Elsa, Anna. We think that the Organization is after the Princesses of Heart and in order to make sure you’re safe, we want to take you to the safest world we know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I know it’s asking a lot of you two. You just reconciled your relationship and have a kingdom to run, but I just want to ensure your safety and this world’s safety. I won’t make you come with us but …”

Sora trailed off but he knew that he didn’t have to explain anymore. Just by the thoughtful looks on the sisters’ faces, he could tell that they were considering their options.

“I’ve already made up my mind, but I want to know what you think, Elsa,” Anna said.

Elsa clasped her hands in front of her and gave Sora a slightly serious look. "I'll be honest Sora; my initial response was to stay. To leave the kingdom behind without a queen, I couldn't bear the thought of it. But I also know that staying here would put not only the Kingdom of Arendelle in danger, but this world as well. Not only that but if me staying here prevents you from losing this war, then the fate of all worlds would be in complete jeopardy. This is bigger than me, than all of us, so I will go with you. I can't speak for my sister though."

“I was gonna go with them too, well, unless you didn’t but you said yes so yay!” Anna hugged her sister tightly.

Elsa laughed and gently pushed the girl away. “There’s still the matter of undoing this winter and placing Arendelle under temporary rule.”

“So, you’ve figured out how to undo this winter?”

“I have a theory thanks to the help of a friend.” The platinum blonde gave a knowing look to Riku and he averted his eyes. Unfortunately, Roxas was next to him so his eyes ended up on the blonde teen, so he turned his head the other way.

“What are we waiting for then?! I can’t wait to see summer!” Olaf said.

Elsa giggled. “Well, I think we should get off the fjord first. Don’t want to fall in the water now, do we?”

Roxas stuck a hand out and summoned a dark corridor. “Alright everyone, into the dark scary looking abyss.”

“What about Hans?” Kristoff asked.

“I got him,” Gladio said as he threw the unconscious prince over his shoulder and walked through the portal.

“I could have summoned one you know,” Riku said as he walked past the blonde teen.

Roxas chuckled and followed him into the corridor. “Can’t have you stealing the spotlight all the time, pretty boy.”

* * *

They were in the castle courtyard. Many people were waiting to greet their queen and princess. However, they were not expecting them to come out of a dark portal that appeared out of nowhere. It gave them quite a shock, to say the least, but once they saw Elsa and Anna in one piece, smiles lit up the people's faces.

There were cheers and rounds of applause. The guards took Hans and carried him to the dungeon. Elsa stood in the middle of the courtyard, in the middle of all these people, and closed her eyes.

And it got quiet and they knew what she was going to do.

Elsa thought about what Riku said, how he thought of Roxas, someone he loved, whenever he used his powers. He didn’t let fear control his powers, he let love.

And so, she thought about Anna and her friends and how their support, their caring nature made her feel. It made her feel warm. It was a feeling that she wanted to hold onto forever, so she let that feeling course through her body. She let it control the magic that flowed out of her and when she opened her eyes, she saw that everywhere around her, ice and snow were flying up into the air in diamond dust.

She raised her hands in the air and focused all the diamond dust into a giant snowflake and then she dispersed it until it disappeared. She smiled in relief as she finally saw the sun shining on the Kingdom of Arendelle once more.

“I knew you could do it,” Anna said to her, a proud look on her face.

Now there was the matter of the transfer of temporary power over the kingdom. She addressed the people with all the regality of a queen. She didn’t give them a detailed explanation, rather she said that a great darkness was threatening their world and that she and Anna had to go away for some time not only for their own safety but for the safety of the kingdom. She said that while they were away, the council would be in charge of any and all matters. Surprisingly, the news was taken rather well, and she was so glad to be ruling over such kind and understanding people.

She smiled proudly at everyone. It was a bittersweet feeling she had right now, to be standing among her people only to be leaving them. She looked to Anna to see how she was faring but saw that the princess was talking to Kristoff. Kristoff was giving the redhead a sad but warm look and Anna could only smile at him softly. She placed a hand on his cheek and pressed her lips to his other one. It was a sweet and tender moment that was restricted by the people around them, but a moment, nevertheless.

Elsa walked up to them after and placed a hand on Kristoff’s shoulder. “Thank you for sticking by Anna and keeping her safe.”

“It’s no problem at all. Just please be safe out there, wherever you two are going,” the mountain man said.

“Of course, and you are more than welcomed to stay at the castle. We do need someone to watch over Olaf and make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”

At that moment, Olaf came up to them. “Don’t worry Elsa, Anna. I’ll watch over Kristoff.”

Elsa giggled. “Or I guess Olaf can watch over you.”

After bidding the kingdom farewell once more, the sisters followed their new friends to a new world.

* * *

Demyx hated when Xemnas called him in. He absolutely hated it. More than that, he feared meeting with his superior.

He was not scared for himself, but for Ienzo and Noctis.

Every time he met with Xemnas, he always wondered if he was finally being called in to be exterminated. Maybe he had found out about his betrayal and that he was helping Ienzo and Noctis escape. It was always a gamble going to those meetings.

And here he was again, waiting for either his new orders or his death.

Fortunately, it was the former rather than the latter and Demyx tried not to look or sound relieved when his superior told him that he wanted him to go to a world and make sure its story played out or something like that. He wasn’t paying full attention just because he was trying not to pass out from the sheer relief that coursed through him. It was always like this with these meetings.

“Do you understand what you must do?” Xemnas asked him.

Demyx nodded. “Yep.” He got the gist of it. He knew what world he was going to and what he had to do to get things set in motion. He wasn’t supposed to interfere directly with the world’s story or its people, he was just supposed to give them a little push. Seemed easy enough and hopefully not much damage would be done to anyone. He didn’t know how much guilt his heart could take from all the evil deeds he had to carry out.

When he returned to Data-Radiant Garden, it was nighttime. The castle was quiet with no sounds of Ienzo's tinkering or Noctis' joking. It was a bit unnerving to him. Even though they were the only ones in this big castle, these two people had somehow managed to bring life to it.

He made his way to the research lab, figuring he would leave a note there for Ienzo and Noctis to find in the morning. He wasn’t expecting to find a sleeping Ienzo in there. The slate-haired male was slouched over a desk, his head resting on his folded arms. He was sleeping soundlessly.

Demyx smiled and shook his head in disapproval. Usually, he and Noctis wouldn’t allow Ienzo to overwork himself and sent him off to bed at a reasonable time. Demyx would even stay up, making sure that the scientist wouldn’t sneak back into the lab (because it had happened before). This time, however, Demyx hadn't been here and he felt bad. Ienzo had been up working because he wasn't here to make sure that didn't happen.

The dirty blonde sighed and grabbed a blanket from a nearby room and wrapped it around Ienzo’s shoulders. Looking closer now, he saw that he did look tired but less so than other times. Demyx realized that Ienzo had been looking better ever since Noctis came. The raven just had a way of making sure that they remembered to take care of themselves. He even tried to help Ienzo out in whatever ways he could, even if it was just keeping him company. It kept Ienzo human, sane.

Demyx grabbed a sheet of paper and scribbled down a quick note, leaving it just by the other male’s arms. He summoned a dark corridor and just before he stepped through it, he took one last look at Ienzo.

“Don’t worry Ienzo. I won’t let anything happen to you guys.”

And then, with a heavy heart, he left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why didn't I kill off Hans? Because it didn't feel like something Elsa and Anna would honestly do. They'd probably find any other alternative way to stop him before resorting to killing him. 
> 
> That last bit with Demyx, I had to add it in just because I feel like we haven't gotten to know what goes on in his head. I wanted to share just a small snippet of what really is going through his mind.
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	14. I'm Only Human

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been so excited to release this chapter just because of the world it introduces. Yes, that's right! We get to see the next world! I've been waiting to write this world ever since I started this fic! Don't know if everyone will be just as delighted as me but I know that I'm happy with what I wrote and am planning to write :)
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“There are hearts all around us trying to connect … That’s the heart’s true nature: to never ever let go.”_

\- Sora, Kingdom Hearts 3

“We’ve come with two more Princesses!” Sora announced as they entered the tower’s living area. He not only saw Master Yen Sid in the room, but Kairi, Axel, Lunafreya, and Rapunzel. It seemed like the four of them were having an art competition of sorts but with finger-paints.

Upon seeing them, Kairi’s brows furrowed and she pointed an accusing purple painted finger at Riku. “You!”

“Me?” Riku asked.

“You’ve been ignoring my messages,” her eyes narrowed and if Sora was being honest, it scared him a little.

Apparently, Kairi's intimidation tactic wasn't working for Riku. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "I've been busy."

“I’ve been busy’, he says,” Kairi mimicked in a deep tone. She knew that wasn’t the real reason why, but she wasn’t going to push further in front of everyone. Instead, she pouted.

Riku laughed at how childish she was acting. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll do better to respond to your constant need for attention.”

Kairi rolled her eyes and smiled. She then ran up to the silvernette and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Riku hugged her back and spun her in a circle, not caring that she was getting paint on his clothes.

“Is this how they usually greet each other?” Elsa asked Sora.

Sora nodded. “Yep. They’re very overdramatic around each other. You get used to it.”

“We should totally do that from now on,” Anna joked.

Sora chuckled and continued to watch the two drama queens that were his friends.

“I missed you, you big jerk,” Kairi said once Riku put her down. She held his face in her hands for a few seconds, then patted his cheeks, leaving purple paint behind.

Riku shook his head but his smile remained. “Missed you too Princess.”

Roxas was the next one to be greeted by Kairi. She held out her hand and the blonde teen took it. From there, they proceeded to do some weird complicated “handshake” that ended with an “explosive” fist bump.

“Okay, now give me a hug,” Kairi said as she held her arms out.

“You have paint though,” Roxas said. It was clear that the blonde didn’t care about the paint but was just trying to rile her up.

Kairi huffed but didn’t put her arms down. “Do it.”

Roxas laughed and happily gave her a hug. “Riku’s right. You are in constant need of attention.”

“Don’t pretend like you don’t like giving me attention.”

"Damn, got me there."

Kairi greeted Donald and Goofy and introduced herself to Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto. When the freckled blonde spoke, Sora’s eyes widened.

“So, _you’re_ Kairi,” Prompto said.

“Oh no. Is that a bad thing?” the girl asked, an amused smiled on her face.

Prompto shook his head. “Not at all. We’ve only heard good things about you from Sora.”

And then she turned to Sora and the brunette’s heart skipped a beat. She always greeted him last and he liked it that way because then he could hold her for as long as he wanted.

“You’ve been talking about me?” There was a glimmer in her blue-violet eyes. Of what, Sora wasn’t sure, but he did know that he never wanted to stop seeing it.

“Of course I have. If I talked about Riku or Roxas, the conversation would be depressing and short.”

Riku and Roxas merely rolled their eyes. They knew better than to interrupt moments between those two.

“We all know you have way more things to talk about. But it’s nice that out of all those things, you chose me.” She hugged the other teen, laying her head on his shoulder.

Sora hugged her back tightly as if she would disappear. He hadn’t seen her in some time. Every day he spent away from her had hurt his heart.

“I missed you Sora. A lot,” she said, still not letting go of him.

“I missed you too.”

After another few seconds of just holding each other, the two broke away. Kairi looked at Elsa and Anna and gave them a friendly smile.

“It’s nice to see you again.”

Kairi’s words confused Sora at first but then he remembered that Elsa and Anna said they had seen three other females when they met Shiva. It had to have been Kairi, Lunafreya, and Rapunzel.

Anna threw a fist in the air. “Yes! Another redhead! And I see another right over there!”

Lea saluted the girl with two fingers that were covered in red and green paint. “The name’s Lea. Got it memorized?”

“I sure do. The three of us are Team Red from now on. Got that memorized?”

“Oh, I like her.”

Elsa smiled at the man’s charismatic attitude. “I’m Elsa and this is my sister Anna. We’ll try not to be too much trouble while we’re here.”

Lea shook his head. “By all means, the more trouble the better. We need it to be livelier around here. Plus, with Master Yen Sid around, no trouble is too much for us to handle.”

Yen Sid stood and made his way to the two sisters. “Queen Elsa, Princess Anna. As long as you are within this world, nothing will be able to harm you.”

"Thank you. My sister and I greatly appreciate your hospitality," Elsa said.

"It is I that thank you for coming here. It is never easy for one to leave their home world, especially when you have a kingdom."

Anna smiled and waved her hand as if it was nothing to worry about. "This is bigger than just us, right? If we can help win this war, then it'll all be worth it."

Elsa looked at her sister with pride. “Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Yen Sid gave the two a small smile and nodded in thanks. Then, he directed his attention back to Sora and the others. “Now, for another matter at hand. Kairi’s keyblade training has been going very well, but I’m afraid she won’t be able to advance further unless she gets help from another keyblade wielder.” He looked at Riku when he said this.

“You want me to train Kairi?” Riku asked.

The sorcerer nodded. “There is only so much she can learn from facing against someone who doesn’t wield a keyblade.”

“It’s true,” Lea said. “She knows my every move. Can’t get any of my chakrams past her.”

“Exactly, which is why I would like Roxas to aid her as well.”

“Wait, what?” a surprised Roxas said. “I’m not even a keyblade master.”

“No, but you do have the unique ability to wield two keyblades constantly. That makes your combat strategy much more difficult to defend against.”

“You’d be a good challenge for her,” Riku said to the blonde teen.

“Was that a compliment that I heard?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“So, are we in agreement?” Yen Sid asked.

The two boys nodded.

“Very well. Sora, you and your friends will continue to search for the Princesses of Heart.”

“Right,” the brunette said. He was a bit crestfallen that he couldn’t stay here with Kairi, but he knew he had a job to do and he would see it through to the very end.

“Don’t worry Sora,” Goofy said as he placed a hand on the boy’s shoulder. “We’ll be finished with all this before you know it.”

That got a smile out of the boy. It always warmed his heart when he was reminded just how much his friends cared for him. “Yeah, you’re right.”

“Has there been any news of Noctis?” Lunafreya asked.

Sora and the gang shook their heads.

The blonde princess sighed. “Well, I suppose it’s better than bad news.” She smiled kindly at the group. “I wish you well on the remainder of your journey.”

“And I wish you all good luck with these two,” Sora said, gesturing to Riku and Roxas. “They’re a chaotic duo. Add Lea into the mix and you’ll probably get a disaster.”

Roxas chuckled and walked up to Lea, high fiving him. “You’re just jealous that we’re the fun of the party, Sora.”

“You’re a headache,” Riku said as he leaned against a sofa.

“Oh Riku, what have I done to hurt you that you constantly torment me?”

“Broke my wrist.”

“Punched him in the face,” Sora muttered.

"The point is," Roxas interrupted, "that I am a wonderful human being who does not deserve to be bullied by some giant."

Riku rolled his eyes. “I’m not giant. Gladio and Ignis on the other hand …”

“We will not take part in any of your teenage squabbles,” Ignis said.

Gladio chuckled. “Do you just hate teenagers Iggy?”

“More like I barely tolerate them.”

“Same, man. Saaame,” Lea said. Roxas gave the man an offended look but the redhead only shrugged. “Teenagers are too dramatic. I mean look how much drama you caused back in the Organization.”

Roxas narrowed his eyes, clearly not amused by the situation. "Can I switch places with Sora? I mean, I technically was him. Can't be that different, right?"

“Sorry Roxas, but you’re on your own,” Sora smirked.

“If you end up going to some awesome cool world, I’ll never forgive you.”

“Nah. We all know that you love me too much, whether you like it or not.”

“Doesn’t everyone?” Lunafreya said.

After saying goodbye to everyone at the tower, Sora and the gang boarded the Gummi Ship and took off. Letting his heart guide him, Sora opened a portal with his keyblade that the ship went through. Once through, he spotted a world in the distance and headed toward it.

“Hey, doesn’t that world look familiar?” Goofy asked.

“Yeah! It looks a bit different though,” Sora said.

“What? What world is it?” Prompto asked.

“A world you’ll like,” Sora answered as the ship entered the world’s atmosphere.

“Huh. We didn’t have to use the magic this time,” Sora said as he looked up at the castle in front of him.

“Gwarsh. There sure are a lot of walls around the castle. I wonder why,” Goofy said.

“They weren’t here last time, were they?” Donald asked as they made their way up the steps. Donald was about to knock on the giant doors when they suddenly slammed open.

"The ship is ready. We should leave before-" A man with black hair and blue eyes looked at them, clearly confused. Behind him was a woman with red hair put up in a bun, wearing a cream-colored dress. Upon seeing the group, she smiled and made her way to the front.

“I’m so glad to see you!” she said.

Sora smiled. “Great to see you too Ariel! How’ve you and Eric been?”

At hearing his name, the man, or Eric looked at Ariel. “So, these are the friends that helped you.”

Ariel nodded. “Well, Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Speaking of, where is Donald?”

Prompto let out a sheepish chuckle. “He’s actually behind the door.”

“Oh!” Ariel closed the door and Donald fell to the floor. “Are you okay?”

Donald groaned. “I’m used to it.”

Ariel helped Donald up despite refusing her help. Then she turned to Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis. “I’m Ariel and this is my husband Eric. And you are?”

“Ignis Scientia. A pleasure to meet you,” the advisor said, polite and courteous as always.

“Gladiolus Amicitia, but you can call me Gladio,” the shield said.

“And I’m Prompto-”

“Caelum,” Gladio coughed.

The blonde sent a quick glare his way. “I’m Prompto Argentum. Not to seem rude or anything, but you two look …”

“Troubled,” Ignis finished.

Ariel’s smile disappeared and she sighed. “Our daughter Melody ran away from home and I’m worried she’s out there in the sea.”

“You have a daughter?! How quickly does time pass by in this world?” Sora exclaimed, surprised.

“That’s beside the point,” Donald said. “How can we help?”

“We’re on our way to look for her by ship. One of the rowboats was missing. There’s no doubt that Melody took it,” Eric said. “You can join us. Your help would be greatly appreciated.”

“You can count on us!” Sora said.

“Thank you,” Ariel said. “I’ll explain more once we’re on the ship.”

* * *

The raven-haired girl considered the sea witch’s words. If she brought back the trident, she would be able to give her a permanent tail.

_“Please be careful.”_

She remembered the man’s words, the one in the black coat that had given her the locket that revealed her lineage. He had held it out and said those words to her.

Was this what he meant, to be careful with the sea witch? Maybe he meant for her to be careful on her journey?

But if she wanted to understand more about where she came from, she would have to be a mermaid herself, and the only one capable of helping her was right in front of her. This was her only chance to find out more about herself. Her parents certainly weren’t going to tell her about it. That was obvious from the giant wall that was built to separate her from the ocean.

This was something she had to do.

Melody looked up at the sea witch, Morgana, and nodded. “I’ll bring back your trident.”

Morgana clapped her hands together and gave the girl a big smile. “Wonderful!” She proceeded to search through various vials she had in her grotto. She pulled out a big magenta one with the face of someone that resembled her. “One drop of this and you’ll have the tail you’ve been dreaming of.”

Morgana gently took one of the girl's legs and placed a drop of liquid onto it. Melody floated in the air and her legs combined into a salmon-colored tail. She slowly floated back down to the floor and looked at her new tail in awe.

“I can’t believe it! I’m a mermaid,” Melody said as she reached out to touch her fins.

“Why don’t you give that tail a test-swim?” the sea witch suggested.

Melody gave her a bright smile and pushed herself off the ledge of ice and dropped into the water. The sea witch dived down after her, watching the girl laugh and be merry as she swam circles everywhere. A sinister smirk appeared on her face and her accomplice, a once giant shark now reduced to the size of a mere small fish, approached her.

“You had Ursula’s magic the whole time and you use it to give the kid a tail but not turn me big again?” the shark, Undertow asked with an annoyed tone.

“Patience Undertow. You’ll get what’s coming to you,” Morgana said with a devious smirk. “She’ll be the key to Triton’s downfall.”

* * *

“When Melody was born, Morgana threatened to kill her if Daddy didn’t hand over the trident. She almost did too, but luckily we got Melody back in one piece. After that, Morgana vowed to come after Melody and the trident. Ever since that day, I have decided to keep Melody from the sea in order to protect her from Morgana. If I'd known that doing that would only make her want to go to the sea more, I would have told her everything from the beginning." Ariel sighed. "I've been pushing her away this whole time."

Sora found it a bit coincidental that the previous world they had been on had dealt with two sisters who had gone through a similar situation. Not only that, but it was a bit ironic that Ariel had been keeping her daughter away from the sea when as a teenager her father had been keeping her away from the human world.

The teen wasn’t judging her at all. He actually understood the motives behind her actions. She only meant good and wanted the best for her daughter, even though in the end it didn’t go according to plan.

Sora wondered how powerful the love for a child could be. Ariel had purposely cut ties off with not only her home but her family and friends as well, all for her daughter. He could only imagine that it had to be something very special.

Which got him thinking about his own mother back at the islands. That first time he had been torn away from his home, from her without a warning. And when he had returned a year later and saw her, his heart broke. She looked smaller but that was probably because he had grown taller than her. Her eyes looked so tired and sad, but upon seeing him, they lit up and it was like she was filled with life again.

She had held him close and cried so much and so had he. He had caused her so much pain for being away for so long. He had felt guilty at many times, for he could have just returned to her but that would mean that he would have never found Riku.

He had apologized so much to her and begged her to forgive him, but his mother only peppered butterfly kisses all over his face and gave him the sweetest smile he had ever seen from her.

“Sora, it’s okay,” she had said. “I’m just so glad that you’re here now.”

And when he had explained his disappearance, she held his face in her hands and told him how proud she was to have such a good and brave son.

And when he had to leave again, she had held him close to her chest and kissed his hair, making him promise to return to her in one piece. And the next time he came back, he brought Roxas along which was a whole other story in itself.

All in all, Sora missed his mother.

Looking at how worried and anxious Ariel seemed, the brunette realized that his mother probably felt that same exact way every time he left. He wondered if she looked up at the sky each day, hoping that he would come back.

Sora was snapped back into the present at the sound of Ignis’ voice.

“You were only doing what you felt was best for her. You were acting on the love of a mother. She will understand this in time,” the advisor said.

The redhead sniffled and looked up at the man. “Do you have children of your own?”

Ignis chuckled. “No, although I have raised one, more or less … still raising one. But I do understand what you are feeling.”

Sora suppressed a laugh at Ignis’ statement. “If Melody is anything like you and Eric, then I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

“She’s just like her mother,” Eric said from the helm of the ship.

“Then she should be fine until we find her.”

Ariel giggled and patted the boy’s head. “I forgot how easily you can make people smile.”

“Uh guys,” Prompto suddenly said. “I really don’t want to be the one to ruin this nice moment but there’s a levitating merman at the starboard.”

Sora turned to find just what Prompto described, but this was no ordinary merman. This was none other than King Triton.

Ariel quickly went to the side of the ship to meet her father. Upon closer inspection, Sora saw that Triton wasn’t levitating, but using water to shoot himself up to their level.

“Any sign of her?” Ariel asked.

Triton shook his head. “We are scouring all over the ocean for her. I will find her if it is the last thing I do.”

Eric placed his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “Maybe you should go with him.”

“Eric I just can’t leave you here to-”

“Don’t worry about me. I’ll be leading the search here on land. You know these waters better than most and if anyone can find her here, it’s you.”

Ariel bit her lip in hesitation. She looked to Sora with pleading eyes. “Will you still help us?”

Sora jumped up. “Of course we will. Just give us a second.” He turned to Gladio and Ignis. “Okay so it may feel a little weird, but I promise it doesn’t hurt.”

“Wait, wait. Hold up. What are you talking about?” Gladio asked.

“We’re gonna have to turn into mermaids-”

“Mermen,” Donald interrupted.

“Right. Mermen if we want to continue the search underwater.”

Gladio and Ignis gave each other a look and Sora understood that they were having some sort of silent communication. Gladio then turned back to Sora. "As much as I would like to try out that tail, I think it's better if Iggy and I help Eric with the search on land."

“But-”

“We would only inconvenience you and slow down the search. After all, we don’t have experience using a tail like you and Prompto,” Ignis explained.

Sora was a bit put down with this information. It did make sense, but he just hated being separated from his friends. All of them being scattered in Arendelle had been bad enough and Sora did not want anything to happen to them.

But they could handle themselves. He knew they could. He still couldn’t help but worry, but that was okay. It just meant that he cared.

“Alright, if you’re sure,” he finally said.

“We are. If any of the Heartless or Nobodies show up, I doubt that Eric can handle all of them by himself. It is best if we aid him up here,” Ignis said.

“You still owe us a tail though,” Gladio joked.

“When this whole war is over, I’ll be sure to give you guys one,” Sora said with a small smile. “It’ll give us something to look forward to.”

After brief goodbyes and wishes of good luck, Sora, Prompto, Ariel, Donald, and Goofy continued the search for Melody underwater while Gladio, Ignis, and Eric continued by land.

* * *

“Does it say where he went?”

“No, just that he went to a world for a mission but that’s all it says.”

“Then why are you not letting me see the note?”

“Because there’s no need to see it if I just told you what’s on it.”

“Ienzo, give me the note.”

“No.”

“Ienzo …”

“Fine, fine.” Ienzo handed the slightly crumpled note to Noctis. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

The prince grabbed the note and upon reading the words written, he smiled and chuckled.

_Have a mission on another world. Will be back soon. Don’t miss me too much!  
\- XOXO Demyx _

“Aww, that’s adorable. What’s wrong with it?” the raven smirked at Ienzo. “Is it too much for you?”

Ienzo furrowed his brows, his cheeks flushed. “It’s just Demyx being Demyx.”

“Is that a bad thing? I mean, he left you little hugs and kisses.”

"Of course it's not a bad thing. And he didn't leave those for _me_.”

Noctis snorted. “So you’re saying he left them for me?”

“The note was for both of us. He just likes adding his own little … flare to things. Even notes apparently.”

Noctis threw his head back and groaned. “I can’t believe I was this oblivious with Prompto,” he muttered.

“What was that?” Ienzo asked as he handed a steaming mug of coffee to the raven.

“Nothing, nothing.” Noctis took the mug and began to pour copious amounts of cream and sugar into it. He gave the note back to Ienzo and took a sip of the sweet concoction. “Here’s your note.”

“ _Our_ note.”

“Yeah, yeah whatever. You can have it.”

Ienzo narrowed his eyes but took the paper anyway. He turned it over and a small smile appeared on his face. “P.S, tell Noct that I had to borrow his phone. Sorry.”

“What?! No wonder I couldn’t find it. What does he need my phone for?”

“Don’t know, but he wouldn’t have taken it without a good reason, I’m sure.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s not like I can actually call or text someone on this fake world anyway.”

The slate-haired male leaned against the counter opposite Noctis. “So why are you so concerned then?”

Noctis took a big gulp of coffee (it was mostly cream and sugar by this point). It wasn't the phone itself that he was worried about losing, but rather what was on the phone. “I have photos and videos stored on my phone of my friends, family. I look at them every night before I fall asleep, just to make sure that I never forget them.”

Ienzo gave a small smile to the prince. “Noctis, I sincerely doubt that you could ever forget people as important as them. If they mean that much to you, they’ll stay in your heart. And I think you know that too. Is it because you miss them?”

“Like crazy. They must be worried sick.”

"Well, I'm sure Sora is out there looking for us right now. He probably has been this whole time. No doubt about it. And because he's Sora, he will find us eventually."

Noctis laughed, for Ienzo was right. Once Sora set his heart on something, he would get it. That’s just the type of person he was. Stubborn but in the best of ways, courageous, caring, optimistic, and always putting others before himself. He truly was a special boy.

“That’s true,” he said. “If I didn’t know Sora, I wouldn’t believe you but fortunately I do.”

Noctis figured that Sora had been doing all he could to find them. When he found out that Ienzo and Demyx knew Sora, it wasn’t difficult to figure out that the teen would probably be looking for them.

And it wasn’t like Noctis didn’t believe in Sora, but he was still human and allowed to naturally worry about the well-being of his friends and family in Lucis. He wished there was a way to let them know that he was alive, that he would be okay because Sora would bring him back.

And then this got him wondering if Ienzo was feeling similar emotions. Was there someone in his home-world that he was missing dearly? Was he worrying over them?

“What about you?” he decided to ask. “Got anyone special back home?”

Ienzo took a moment to answer as if he was formulating the perfect response in his head. Noctis noticed that he did this quite a lot. Ienzo seemed to be a person that was very dedicated to everything he did, including providing adequate responses to questions. It was an admirable trait, for Noctis appreciated that Ienzo cared enough to give him a good enough response.

“Yes, but I doubt it’s the type of special you’re insinuating.”

“Enlighten me then.” Noctis made himself comfortable as he leaned against the kitchen sink and continued to drink the rest of his overly sweet coffee.

Ienzo just studied Noctis as he drank his coffee in such a carefree manner. He carried on conversation so easily despite his claims that he wasn’t the best at socializing. Ienzo wondered how someone could make being, well, human so easy.

There were times when Ienzo feared that he would somehow go back to being Zexion. He didn’t want to go back to being that cold, emotionless, manipulative, heartless being. He didn’t want to cause more damage than he had done already. Which is why he had shared quite a bit of himself with a few people. Yeah, it was only three people he had opened up to a bit, one of which was standing right in front of him awaiting an answer, but it was a start. He didn’t want to be Zexion again, and Zexion would never open up to people.

But Ienzo … Ienzo would. He would make sure of it.

“Her name is Naminé. She’s like the little sister I never had. She used to be Kairi’s Nobody as a matter of fact.”

“Whoah, really?”

"Mm-hmm. She was ejected out of Kairi's heart when she used light to help Sora in a different world. Did that by any chance happen to be your world?"

“Yep. I would say small world but there’s so many of them.”

Ienzo chuckled. “Anyway, Naminé has a special ability that allows her to look into people’s memories. Her powers are growing and manifesting more each day. I was the one to find her and take her in when she became her own person. I not only helped her with her powers, but she helped me find more of myself and even reminded me that I was just as human as anyone else. We were there for each other. She even chose me over Roxas.”

“Roxas? Are she and him …”

The slate-haired male shook his head and sighed. “Unfortunately not, and it’s so painfully obvious that those two have feelings for each other. I think she knows it too but doesn’t want to add more stress onto him and this whole war with a love confession and the possibility of a relationship.” He ran a hand through his fringe, briefly clearing his face only to have it fall back once again. “I know she loves me like family, but I don’t want her to feel like she has to give up her happiness for me. I want her to be happy. There are many days where I wish she had gone with Roxas to the islands. That way, she would be with the boy she’s in love with and he in turn would be with the one he loves. But then there’s also this part of me that’s glad she chose to stay with me.” He looked down at the dark liquid in his mug. The coffee was lukewarm now and he wasn’t going to drink it anymore. Still, he held the mug if only to have something to hold onto. “Does that make me selfish?” He looked up to Noctis now, eager to hear what he had to say.

Noctis on the other hand was very confused as to why Ienzo was asking him this question. How could he think that he was a selfish person? Throughout the whole time he had been in this world he had seen nothing but kindness and dedication from the young scientist.

“I think it makes you very human. I’d be concerned if you didn’t feel the slightest bit happy that she stayed with you. You love her so it’s normal for you to want the best for her but also to stay with her.”

Ienzo emptied his mug in the sink and washed it, leaving it to dry on the dish rack. He stood next to Noctis and gathered his thoughts once more. “I had been a Nobody for a long time, longer than I had even lived. When I came back as a human with a heart again, I completely forgot how to handle emotions. I still have trouble from time to time, but I’m working on dealing with these emotions in a healthy manner.”

Noctis hip bumped him and downed the rest of his coffee. "Newsflash Ienzo, we all are. No one ever stops learning how to be a decent human being. Gods know I still have a looong way to go and I've made many mistakes, many selfish and stupid, but what's important is that I learned from them. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't beat yourself up over all this. Emotions are complicated and messy, but they're what make the heart special. As long as you do what you feel is right, you can't go wrong."

“Hmm.” Ienzo thought over this. The gist of what Noctis was saying was to follow his heart. Ienzo had always been one to think with his mind, not his heart. But maybe Noctis was on to something. He certainly was older and had a lot more experience with dealing with emotions. And from the sound of it, it seemed like there was not really a correct way to go about what one felt. It depended on the person and what they were feeling. Spontaneity had never been Ienzo’s strong suit, but it sure seemed like he might need to start getting better at it.

“So I’m gonna ask you again and I want you to be honest with me, okay?” Noctis asked. “Is there someone special?”

This time, Ienzo didn't answer with his head, but with his heart. He felt that familiar rush when a face popped into his mind. His heartbeat picked up and he got a warm feeling in his chest that was neither unfamiliar nor unwelcomed.

With a smile and absolute certainty, he answered, “Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you that might be a bit confused, yes it is canon that Ariel and Eric have a daughter. There is a second movie that is actually on Disney Plus which I love called "The Little Mermaid: Return to the Sea." I gave an extremely brief snippet of the plot but if you want to know more about what may happen in this world, check out the movie! It's a fun watch!  
> As for Sora's mom, I can assure you that this won't be the last that you hear of her. Why does no one talk about her or any of the other characters' parents for that matter. Like hello? These teens were just ripped away from their families at one point and now they're just leaving for long periods of time to go to different worlds? Like how? I know if I was Sora my mom would definitely not be too happy with that. I feel like Sora's mom would be someone similar to him and very compassionate and understanding which is why in the end she accepted his role as a keyblade wielder. Doesn't mean that mother and son don't miss each other though.  
> And let's not forget my boy Ienzo struggling with ... FEELINGS! All jokes aside, I feel like the bit where Noctis talked about how being human is tough and a never ending learning experience is true. It's something I've come to learn and accept. We may want life to be easier at times, but then there wouldn't be room to grow or change if everything ran so smoothly. Ienzo is starting to see this and I wanted Noctis to be the one to open his eyes to that, since he went through his own self-realization. 
> 
> Hopefully the next update won't take too long. I just started school again and it seems like my work is cut out for me, even if everything is online right now. The only time I have to write and edit is at night when I should be sleeping XD Anything for creativity, am I right?
> 
> Hope you guys liked the chapter! Tell me your thoughts on it. Are you happy about Sora's return to Atlantica? Are you dreading that there will be some sort of musical popping through your screen at any moment singing "Swim this way we'll dance and we'll play" and torment you forever? Or are you wondering why I'm asking all these questions and concluding that I've lost my mind? (I totally have. This fic has scrambled my brain XD)
> 
> Until next time my lovelies! Stay safe and spread cheer and smiles! <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	15. Take the Good from the Bad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have risen from the dead just to post this chapter!
> 
> Seriously guys, it's like I was blessed with no writer's block because I wrote this chapter in less than 24 hours while I had time from classes. I can't believe this actually happened but it did. In all honesty though, I think my playwriting class is really helping me in fic writing just because the class really gives you a good understanding of what makes a story a story and how to put your own special touch on it.
> 
> But yeah, between five classes that throw copious amounts of work, therapy sessions, adulting, writing play outlines, and pre-planning for fic chapters, it's a miracle that I'm still a functioning human being who runs on way less than 8 hours of sleep and strong coffee. I've been so busy that I've just been neglecting my Tumblr and Discord too. I'm so sorry DX
> 
> Anyway, there was so much more I wanted to write but ultimately decided to save it for the next chapter to keep the themes all correlated and whatnot. Plus, I felt like this was a nice wrap up yet cliffhanger for the chapter too.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“Your light? Never lose sight of it.”_

\- Cloud Strife, Kingdom Hearts

“Swim this way, we’ll dance and we’ll play now. It’s very easy, come on in, just take a chance and shake a fin.”

“Enough with the singing, Sora!”

“Aw, come on Donald. Lighten up a little,” Sora said as he swam circles around the mage. “We can’t be all down in the dumps. Right Prompto?”

“I’m all for optimism dude, but maybe a little quieter optimism?” the blonde suggested, hoping to provide some middle ground. “Especially if we’re trying to find someone that doesn’t want to be found.”

Sora nodded. “True, true. It’s just that last time we were here, there was a lot more singing.”

Goofy laughed. “We were in a musical.”

“Yeah! We even fought off Ursula with music.”

Prompto blinked, dumbfounded. “I’m sorry, what?”

Donald sighed. “He was singing while fighting the sea witch Ursula.”

“Hey! She was singing too!”

“Cause she was crazy! You didn’t have to join in on it!”

“You’re just jealous that my beautiful singing voice defeated her.”

Goofy looked between the two in confusion. “But I thought Ursula was the only one singing during the battle. I didn’t see Sora singing.”

“He did!” Donald said. “He did it when he thought no one was around, but I was there!”

Ariel giggled. “So you’re a singer now Sora?” she asked teasingly.

“Might as well be. I’ll even start my own band once I go back to the islands,” the teen said.

“Oh boy. Please don’t,” Donald said.

“You know what? I was completely joking but now I’m actually gonna do it. Because of you, Kairi, Roxas, and Riku are gonna be dragged into my madness too. And we’ll tour all the worlds with our nonsensical music!” Sora did a terrible evil laugh which got looks from various merpeople and sea creatures swimming by them.

“So you’ve got your whole band figured out then?” Prompto would humor the boy and his attempt at annoying Donald.

“I’ll be vocals of course. Riku will be on drums and in the back since he’ll probably be the eye candy so I can’t have him stealing the spotlight. He can’t ever sing either. I heard him singing to himself once and I swear he had the voice of a literal angel. He can’t be a double threat so he’ll be in the back. Kairi could do bass, guitar, or keys. Same goes for Roxas, but he can never sing either. He sounds too much like this one singer whenever he speaks and I don’t doubt that if he ever sang, he’d sound like him too. What’s the guy’s name? Something with a ‘J’. Anyway, whatever instrument is leftover will be for me so I’ll sing and play that too.” Sora gave off a smirk to Donald who just rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Prompto stifled his laughter. Sora was being absolutely ridiculous just to prove a point to Donald. It reminded him of Noctis and Ignis. Noctis would do things to get on Ignis’ nerves all the time. He didn’t do it as much lately, but that little rebellious spark was still there and it always got Prompto laughing.

The thought of Noctis was bittersweet lately. Just thinking about the raven made him smile and feel a fluttering warmth in his chest, but it also brought dread and doubt. Noctis was the love of his life without a doubt. He truly knew that within his heart and would gladly die screaming it out to all the worlds out there. So if Prompto lost Noctis … if he lost him after he just got all of him, he didn’t know what he would do. A great part of him would go along with Noctis and he would never be the same. He knew that.

Prompto chuckled to himself. He had loved Noctis for so long and yet he had only been able to show his love to him for just about a year. And then he was taken from him. He vaguely wondered if all 21-year-olds went through some sudden life-changing event. He’d have to ask Ignis and Gladio after this.

“We sure swam a lot if we reached the palace,” Goofy suddenly said, snapping Prompto out of his internal monologuing.

He looked up to see a shimmering golden palace in the middle of what appeared to be some sort of underwater city. It was absolutely beautiful and nothing like Prompto had ever seen before.

As they swam deeper into the city, they all asked around to see if anyone had seen any sign of Melody or a rowboat. Unfortunately, no one had. Still, they went into the palace so Triton could see if the guards had any luck in finding the princess.

While Triton talked with the Royal Guard, Ariel led the others to the small garden outside the palace to take a break. There was a variety of colorful and unusual looking vegetation that Sora and the gang had never seen before, but it was all beautiful, nonetheless. They all sat around the garden – although it took Prompto a few times to sit without floating back up – and reveled in the silence around them … for about five seconds.

“I feel like I’m being punished.”

Everyone looked to Ariel as she played with some red algae, her bright red hair floating around her.

“I used to think my father was overbearing and sometimes even cruel for how he always prevented me from seeing the human world. When he spoke terribly of humans and destroyed my collection … I felt so much anger and hurt. I remember thinking to myself that if I ever had a child, I would make sure they would never have to go through what I did.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “And yet, here I am searching for my daughter who ran away because I tried to keep her from the sea because I believed it was too dangerous for her.” She looked up at everyone and gave off a sad smile. “Life has a funny way of turning things on you, doesn’t it?”

“Don’t beat yourself too much over this Ariel,” Sora said. “Parents aren’t perfect, but they do the best they can. Just like teenagers! We’re a mess, and that’s coming from a teenager!” Sora smiled when Ariel let out a small but genuine chuckle. “But even though we’re all over the place, we still try our best to find our place in the world. I guess that’s why we’re constantly moody and freaking out twenty-four seven. Because we’re trying to understand something we will probably never completely figure out, too fast.”

“That was the wisest word vomit I ever heard from you, Sora,” Donald said with a smirk.

Prompto shook his head as the two began bickering, but at least it got Ariel smiling again. Goofy, the poor guy, was trying to play mediator as usual between the two. The blonde decided that maybe he could lend the queen his own words of wisdom, at least if anyone could call them that. He got up and sat down next to her, his golden tale shimmering just as brightly as the palace.

“Your tail is beautiful.”

Prompto was surprised, for he meant to speak first. But hey, whatever got a conversation started, right?

“Oh, thank you.”

“My mother used to tell me that a mermaid’s, or in this case merman’s tail’s appearance would take after their character.”

Prompto lifted his tail to look at the golden scales. “But I wasn’t born with this tail. I just got it from magic.”

“Magic works the same way too.”

Prompto flopped his tail back down. “So, what does my tail say about me then?”

Ariel hummed and leaned down to take a closer look. “Love, courage, compassion … wisdom, passion … perhaps preciousness because of the association with gold … and magic.”

“Magic? The only magic I have is Noctis’, and even then that’s not my magic.”

Ariel put a finger to her lips in thought. “Everyone has their own special magic inside of them, not necessarily like physical magic. More like, a uniqueness that no one else can copy.”

“Hmm, what if someone’s tail was black. What would that say about them?”

“I can’t say exactly since I would need to look at it, but based on the color itself, a few words that come to mind are power, authority, mystery, strength, sophistication, and rebellion.”

Prompto had to stop himself from laughing at Ariel’s description of Noctis’ tail meaning. It basically described the prince he was. Maybe the sophistication part was a little bit of an exaggeration, but for the most part, everything else was pretty spot on. Especially the strength, rebellion, and mystery parts.

“Do you ever wonder what type of tail Melody could have?”

Ariel’s smile wavered but it still remained. “Many times, especially when I longed to see my old home again. I would think about a tail that shined a bit like yours and maybe in a light but beautiful color. Maybe something like pink, purple, or even orange.”

“Where do you think she is now?”

“Probably trying to find Atlantica. I don’t know how someone could find this place above the sea, but Melody has always been very curious and adventurous. I’m sure she’d find a way.”

Prompto placed a comforting hand on Ariel’s. “She sounds like a great kid. Maybe a little lost, but I feel like that’s a normal thing that everyone goes through in their life.”

Ariel nodded. “That sounds about right. She was always so worried about fitting in with everyone else. She never felt like she belonged. I only wish that I had paid more attention to that part of her.” She squeezed the blonde’s hand and looked at him with determination in her features. “When we find her, the first thing I’m going to do is tell her all about Atlantica. I’ll tell her everything she wants to know and then maybe … maybe we can rebuild the trust we once had.”

“That sounds like a perfect idea.”

Just then, a guard came swimming rather quickly into the garden. “The king calls for you all in the throne room.”

The group quickly got up and made their way to the throne room to find King Triton holding something in his hand. He looked up once they entered and held up the object for them to see.

Ariel swam up to her father and touched the object. It was a shell necklace. “Is that …”

Triton nodded. “It’s hers.”

“Melody’s necklace. She was here.”

“Just recently too.” Triton ran a hand down his face and sighed. “I had put my trident down for a moment when I went to talk to the guards and … the trident is gone, Ariel.”

“You don’t think she took it, do you?” Sora asked.

“Why would Melody steal from her own grandfather?” Goofy asked.

Ariel frowned down at the necklace. “She doesn’t know that Daddy is related to her.”

“Still doesn’t explain why she would take the trident in the first place,” the teen said.

Triton’s brows furrowed and a snarl left his lips. “Morgana. She’s the only one that would dare steal the trident. She must have somehow manipulated Melody into getting it for her.”

“We’ve gotta find her fast!” Donald said.

Triton nodded. “Agreed. We must split up to cover more area faster.”

Sora nodded. “Take Goofy and Donald with you. Without your trident, you two are going to need more protection than ever, especially if Morgana may come looking for you.” The brunette looked at Goofy and Donald who nodded in agreement. “Prompto and I have our own weapons, so we’ll be fine.”

“Thank you,” Ariel said. “Please stay safe.”

It wasn’t even ten minutes until Sora and Prompto had left to search that they encountered a Nobody. And it was one that Sora had seen before. It was the type that looked like it was skating and dancing at the same time. He had fought them at Hollow Bastion, before the restoration. If he wasn’t mistaken, he encountered those types of Nobodies right before fighting …

The Nobody swam up to the surface and Sora and Prompto followed it, swimming as fast as they could. Their head broke through the water and they looked around, seeing no sign of the Nobody.

“Strange. Those types of Nobodies are usually very aggressive, and they basically cling onto you. Why would that one run away from us?” Sora wondered out loud.

“Maybe to get you guys out of the water,” a voice said.

Sora and Prompto turned to find a figure standing on a large rock that was peeking out of the water. The figure was wearing a black coat that could only mean one thing.

“Organization 13!” Sora exclaimed as he summoned his keyblade.

The figure waved their hands in front of them. “Whoah, take it easy! I’m on your side, honest!” They proceeded to pull back their hood to reveal none other than …

“Demyx,” Sora said with a rather angry yet disappointed tone.

Prompto looked at Sora. “You know him?”

“Unfortunately.”

Demyx sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “This is gonna be harder than I thought.”

“What is?” the freckled blonde asked.

Demyx seemed to just realize that there was another person with Sora. He blinked at Prompto and his face instantly lit up. “You’re Prompto!”

Prompto on the other hand was taken aback. “How do you know who I am?”

“Dude, you’re basically all Noct talks about.”

Prompto’s heart leaped in his chest, hope blooming at hearing someone mention the prince. “Noct? You know where he is?”

Sora held his arm out in front of Prompto. “He could be lying to us. We can’t trust anyone from the Organization, remember?”

“No, no. I’m being honest here. No lies, no bullshit.” Demyx reached into his pocket and Sora pointed his blade at him while Prompto summoned his gun and aimed. The dirty blonde halted in his movements instantly. “I swear I’m not pulling out a weapon. It’s actually the opposite really.” He proceeded to pull out a small device from the inside of his coat.

Prompto swam closer to the edge of the rock, ignoring Sora’s warning. “Is that Noct’s phone?”

“Yep!” Demyx said rather cheerfully.

Sora, who seemed to have completely given up on trying to get Prompto away from Demyx, swam up to Prompto’s side. “And why do you have it?”

Demyx sat down cross-legged in front of them. “Like I said, I’m on your side. And before you give me that look again, let me explain.” This last part was directed at Sora who had begun giving him the stink eye.

And so Demyx told them all about how he came back with a heart but was being used to carry out dark deeds. He told them how he had to kidnap Ienzo and how he found out that he could have lived a regular life if Xehanort hadn’t basically manipulated him. He told them how he was the one that took Noctis but ensured that he was safe along with Ienzo.

“Can you tell us where you’re keeping them?” Prompto asked, basically begging the other male.

Demyx frowned and looked genuinely apologetic. “I really wish I could, but I can’t. If I tell you, everything Ienzo has been working on will go to shit and then Noctis and Ienzo will probably be taken from my care. But I promise that they’re safe. I’m making sure they are.”

“I’m guessing you can’t tell us why Xehanort needs them?” Sora asked.

Demyx shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t know. They wouldn’t tell me. Ienzo knows why he was taken though. He keeps trying to make something. I’m not sure what it is. Noct helps him in the lab and keeps him company, but even he might not know either. As for why Noct was taken, I’m guessing it’s for his power.”

“Is there anything you can tell us that may be useful?” Prompto asked. His tone was less sharp, and he was almost pleading with Demyx at this point.

“Well, you might have noticed that Nobodies are targeting a certain friend of yours in Radiant Garden.”

“Cloud?” Sora asked. “Is it really because of the mako in his blood?”

Demyx nodded. “Ienzo said he needed mako for whatever it is that he’s making. I sent some Nobodies to go look for some in different worlds. Turns out that your friend, Cloud, is the one with the mako.”

“And what if we got the mako for you?” Prompto suggested.

This surprised Sora, for he quickly turned to the freckled blonde and sputtered indignantly. “Prompto!”

“Think about it. If we gave him the mako, there would be less Nobodies in Radiant Garden, right?” Prompto looked up at Demyx for confirmation.

Demyx nodded. “Yep. I’d have to leave some just because Xemnas likes to torment worlds, but I’d leave like a small handful behind. And Cloud would be much safer too.”

Sora still looked skeptical. “And you would give the mako to Ienzo and nobody else?”

“Yes. He’s the only one that needs it.”

Sora pondered over his options. Demyx didn’t seem to be lying and he should know. The man was a pretty bad liar. He even seemed genuinely concerned over Ienzo and Noctis, which got him thinking …

“Why do you want to help Ienzo and Noct?”

Demyx looked at Sora as if the answer to that question was obvious. “They’re my friends too and they have good hearts. They’ve helped in keeping whatever humanity that’s left in me alive. I owe it to them.” He held out the phone to them. “Which is why I brought this. I figured you guys could record a message or something, letting them know that you’re looking for them. I mean, they know you guys are just ‘cause Sora’s fan club is that big but it’s different hearing it, you know?”

Prompto gently took the phone as if it was precious gold and tapped the screen, waking the phone up. He smiled at Noctis’ lock screen which was a silly selfie of them making faces into the camera. He unlocked the phone to see a photo of him and Noctis sharing a kiss as the wallpaper. Prompto forced the tears back as he tapped on the camera app and held the phone up so it showed him and Sora.

After they recorded their videos, Prompto handed the phone back to Demyx who took it with thanks.

“I should be telling you that. At least I know he’s safe and well,” Prompto said with a watery smile.

Sora looked like he was having an internal battle and Prompto completely understood. It must have been difficult for him to put trust into someone that was once his enemy. “Keep them safe, okay?” he finally said.

Demyx crossed his heart. “Scout’s honor.” He put the phone back inside his coat. “Another thing before I go. Make sure you find Melody. You have to.”

“That’s what we’ve been doing.”

“I mean that it’s super important that you do find her if you catch my drift.” Demyx ran a hand through his hair. “My part in this world was to kickstart things by giving her the locket. I told her to be careful but I’m not sure how much attention a pre-teen will pay to an adult, let alone a complete stranger.”

The two nodded.

“Well, looks like my time here is up then.” As Demyx got up to summon a dark corridor, he felt a tug at his coat. He turned to see that it was Prompto that had pulled on it.

“Demyx, thanks. Please keep them safe, both Noctis and Ienzo,” the blonde said with a smile.

Demyx grinned. “Well damn, Noct was right. You do have a small that radiates sunshine.”

Prompto blushed, not because of Demyx, but because Noctis basically bragged about his boyfriend, about Prompto.

Demyx summoned a dark corridor and saluted the two. “Don’t worry you guys. Noctis and Ienzo are in safe hands. Well, when I get back they are. They’re totally gonna flip when they see your videos. Until next time!”

And with that, the Melodious Nocturne stepped into the portal, leaving Prompto and Sora to think over what had just transpired.

“So, we’ve got an inside man,” Prompto said.

“I guess we do,” Sora said. “And it’s Demyx.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing. Is it a bad thing?”

“Back then I would say so because he always seemed to not take things seriously, even when we fought. But something’s different about him now. He seems determined. He must really care for Noctis and Ienzo.”

Prompto’s smile grew. “It’s good to know that not only is he helping them, but they’re helping him too. It worked out pretty well in the end, well as far as kidnapping situations go at least.”

Sora chuckled. “That’s one way of putting it.” The teen squinted, noticing a large rock formation in the distance. “You know what, I think Demyx might have pointed us in the right direction too.”

* * *

Cloud frowned in confusion as the surveillance footage stopped playing.

“Well, that’s certainly interesting.”

He jumped and bumped back into someone. Slim but gentle hands held him steady. He heard a giggle and cursed his luck at being alone in the same room with her.

He turned around to see none other than Aerith standing before him, an amusing smile on her face. “Thought you were supposed to be out helping Leon and Tifa.”

“They have everything under control. I wanted to check up on the computer progress, and from the looks of it, it seems like it’s all ready to go.”

“It’s all thanks to you.”

Aerith tutted. “It’s actually thanks to you, mister. You’re the one that got mako extracted out of you.”

Cloud unconsciously rubbed his left forearm which was still sore from the rather painful procedure. “Yeah, but you came up with the idea of using mako to speed up the computer’s recovery.”

“Pish posh.” She brushed past him and looked down at the computer screen. “So that was a strange kidnapping, wasn’t it?”

Cloud stood next to her and leaned over to type on the keyboard. “Well, maybe it wasn’t a kidnapping.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just look.”

Cloud pressed a key and the footage began to play. It showed a figure in a black coat with the hood shrouding their face in the lab. Ienzo was standing in front of them. The figure seemed to be saying something to Ienzo. Ienzo gave the figure a small but tentative nod and walked into a dark corridor that the figure summoned. Cloud stopped the footage there, for the rest of the video was the figure destroying the rest of the cameras and sabotaging the computer.

“He went voluntarily,” Cloud said. “And if you noticed, Ienzo looked at the person like he knew them.”

“You think it’s someone from the original Organization?” Aerith asked.

“It’s a possibility. We need to know if there was anyone that Ienzo hung around in the Organization.”

“So, you’re saying we’re gonna need Roxas again.”

“I’m saying that he’s the best clue we have right now. I don’t like the thought of asking him to let someone go through his memories again, but it’s the best chance we’ve got right now.” Cloud bit his lip, knowing exactly the feeling of having someone sort through your mind. It was invasive and uncomfortable. Fortunately, it wasn’t painful for the teen, but the man still couldn’t help but feel bad for him.

“So, we call Roxas then?”

“We should tell the rest of the restoration committee first. Then, we’ll go from there.” Cloud began to walk past the brunette but was stopped by her hand grabbing onto his wrist.

“Cloud, you should rest. You had mako extracted out of you.”

“I’m fine Aerith. It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“You still need rest.”

“The ones who need rest are Sora, Riku, Roxas, Naminé, all those kids. They’re the ones that never get a break. They’re just kids Aerith. They don’t deserve all the chaos that’s happening with the worlds.”

“And neither do you.”

Cloud sighed. “Aerith-”

“I know, I know. Just, at least let me do this.”

Next thing the blonde knew, Aerith was completely stepping into his personal space. Her hands reached up to his face and her fingers lightly touched his cheeks. Cloud flinched and shivered under her touch.

Aerith’s mouth twitched, threatening to turn into a smirk. “Relax Cloud. I’m not gonna hurt you.”

Aerith held his face in her hands and rested her head against his. Cloud’s breath hitched at the extreme closeness.

“You’re alright Cloud. I’ve got you,” she said softly.

Aerith leaned just the slightest bit closer and closed her eyes. It was then that Cloud felt the warmth from her magic spreading through him. His eyes fluttered closed as her healing magic coursed through him and soothed him.

He didn’t deserve her kindness. He didn’t deserve the goodness that came from her heart. Cloud knew he tended to ruin everything he touched. Not to mention the fact that every rare time that something good came into his life, it was ripped away from him.

“Aerith …” He couldn’t find it in himself to push her away. All he could do was beg her to leave him be, but even then he couldn’t get all the words out.

And then he felt soft lips against his. It was the briefest of kisses. It only lasted for a second, but Cloud would be lying if he said it wasn’t the best damn second of his entire life.

“It’s okay Cloud. You’re safe with me.”

Cloud wondered if the kiss was just something to calm him down. If anything, it only made his heart beat faster. It made him want more of her. But he couldn’t have her, he just couldn’t.

“There.”

Aerith pulled her face away from his just a couple of inches and opened her eyes. She continued to hold his face in her hands, her thumb rubbing gently against his cheeks.

“All finished?” Cloud asked as he opened his eyes to look at her. He knew that he sounded disappointed, and by the look on her face, she knew he was too.

“Doesn’t have to be. It’s up to you.”

The blonde knew she wasn’t talking about the healing anymore. “No, it’s not.”

She looked at him sadly. “Cloud, I know you think you don’t deserve good things happening to you, but aren’t you tired of pushing all the good away? You do deserve better Cloud. You are a good person.”

She kept spouting sweet words to him, but at this point, Cloud was drowning it out. He could only focus on her bright green eyes, those eyes that reminded him of the leaves on the most beautiful of flowers, the spiky grass, the leaves on trees. Those eyes that always held a hint of mirth, excitement, wonder, and kindness. He had to look in her eyes because if he looked where he wanted to look, he wouldn’t be able to control himself.

The funny thing about trying not to do something is that when you think about not doing it, you suddenly start doing it involuntarily. And that’s what happened to Cloud. His eyes drifted down to Aerith’s lips and he knew that he was so screwed.

Next thing Cloud knew, he was cupping Aerith’s face in his hands and kissing her softly yet with fervor. He kissed her again and again and again, and she kissed him back every time.

When Cloud realized just what it was that he was doing, he pulled away and released a shaky breath. He turned his face away, trying to hide his shame from her even though he knew it was futile.

“I’m-”

“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry Cloud Strife. You say that and you’re offending me.” Aerith placed a hand on his shoulder and he flinched away from her. “What’s wrong?”

He turned to her and gave her a pained look. “You deserve better than this Aerith. You don’t deserve someone like me.”

“And who are you to be telling me what I should and shouldn’t have? My life is my own and I know exactly what I deserve and want Cloud. And what I want is you. All of you. And I know you want me too.” She tilted her head as she looked up at him. “You deserve good Cloud. You deserve me. Don’t you think it’s time you let yourself have something good?” She placed a hand on his cheek and the blonde leaned into her touch. “I’d like to be that something good for you Cloud because you’re that something good for me.”

Cloud had no words. Aerith saw him as good and wanted him in her life. He was the good in her life, just like she was his. He was having a difficult time wrapping his head around that. He never felt like he was anything good. He thought the opposite in fact. But here was Aerith, the definition of good and she deemed him as such.

His heart ached to be with her, more than ever now that he knew how she felt about him. He didn’t want to put her in danger though. Cloud Strife had always been and would always be trouble.

“I don’t want you to get hurt because of me Aerith,” he finally said. “It would be stupid and selfish of me to put you through that.”

Aerith gave him a lopsided smile that made his heart race. “And what’s wrong with being a little selfish and stupid every once in a while? If you didn’t notice, I do it a lot.”

Cloud chuckled at her words, the internal battle in him calming down the slightest bit.

“Don’t choose my battles for me Cloud. Don’t tell me what paths to go down. I’m a big girl and I’m perfectly capable of deciding how to live my life. It’s time you started living for your own happiness too.”

He bit his lip in contemplation.

“You want me to be happy, don’t you? Well, you make me happy Cloud.”

He placed a hand over the one that was still cupping his cheek. “I don’t understand why you would want someone like me. Hell, I still think I’m bad news, but … I’d like to find out why I’m your happiness. I want to make you happy Aerith.”

It was then that Aerith gave him the brightest most radiant smile he had ever seen on her. She leaned up and pressed her lips to his and this time he let himself completely fall into it. He pulled away with a small chuckle and Aerith furrowed her brows in confusion.

“What?” she asked.

“Funny that you’re saying we deserve each other when a few years ago back in Midgar you were telling me not to fall in love with you.”

“Well, have you?”

Cloud pushed a strand of stray hair away from Aerith’s face and gave her a small but soft smile. “What do you think?”

“I think that we’re both hopeless idiots which means that we’ll have an awesome love story.”

“You know what? I think you may be onto something there.”

They continued to just kiss and enjoy each other’s company while they were still alone. It was fine. The others still wouldn’t be back for some time. The meeting could wait. The call to Roxas and the others could wait.

Right now, Cloud and Aerith just wanted to enjoy this moment together before the inevitable impending chaos broke out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Clerith initially was not supposed to happen in this chapter. It was going to happen much later but what I felt coming off of the characters said otherwise so yeah, it happened in this chapter instead.
> 
> In other news, we're 15 chapters in and I don't think we're even at the halfway mark yet (*insert screaming gif*). Joking aside, I'm really glad that that's the case. Each of my fics is my baby and I can't bear the thought of when I have to say goodbye to them. Let's all just enjoy the ride for now. It'll be a while before we get to the end.
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I promise I am trying my hardest to update as much as I can amidst all this work! Until next chapter <3
> 
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	16. Believe In You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Managed to pull out a lengthy chapter just in time for the 4th anniversary of FFXV! I couldn't possibly miss it.
> 
> School is just about finishing up too. Just about two or three more weeks and then I can start focusing more on fics again. Isn't that great?! Also, Happy Belated Thanksgiving! Hope all of you and your families were safe this holiday.
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“No matter where we are, our hearts will bring us together again.”_

\- Aerith, Kingdom Hearts

“Fuck!”

“Language.”

“Oh, shut up Riku. I’m sixteen years old. I’m allowed to curse.”

Riku raised his keyblade to block the incoming strike from the redheaded girl. He felt the harsh vibration from the clash of metal against metal and briefly wondered if Kairi was actually trying to kill him. Okay, maybe not kill him, but give him a good thrashing. She definitely had been improving, but there were still a few tricks up his sleeve that she could learn.

With a grunt, Riku pushed Kairi’s blade back, causing the girl to jump back. She smirked when she heard him utter the sound.

“So, I’m that strong, huh?”

Riku didn’t respond. Instead, he took advantage of the second that she let her defense down and rushed in with Way to Dawn and swung the blade down on her. Kairi blocked and pushed against the blade as Riku pushed back.

“Get ready to eat dust Riku.”

Kairi took another step closer, giving Riku the opening he was expecting. With a swipe of his foot, Kairi went crashing down to the ground. He pointed his blade at her, finally allowing himself to pant for air.

Kairi groaned and banged her head back against the grass. “What’d I do wrong this time?”

Riku offered a hand to Kairi and pulled her up to her feet. “You let your guard down. Got too cocky. Talked too much.” He smirked at the last statement.

“Ugh! I thought I was doing everything right. I even added in a few new things I learned from Roxas. He said that was sure to get you.”

“Is that all Roxas said?”

Kairi pouted. “He said, and I quote, ‘Also, watch out for the sneaky fucker’s movements.”

“And did you?”

“Not completely,” Kairi muttered.

“See, Roxas is good at teaching physical strategy, but not tactics. He’s more of a strike first ask questions later person. He did warn you though.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I’m trying to teach you the tactical part of combat. You have to watch your enemy’s movements. Try and predict what they’re going to do and get in their head. Think, if I were them, what would I do next?”

“If I were you, I’d want to go and fawn over Roxas instead of being here with me.”

Riku blinked back at Kairi’s completely blatant answer. “My gosh, I knew telling you about the whole Roxas thing was a bad idea.”

Kairi grabbed onto the silvernette’s arm and giggled, shaking her head fervently. “No, no! I don’t mean to make fun of you! Honest! I’m just speaking the truth.”

“You’re making it seem like I don’t wanna be here.”

“I’m just saying that you’d probably want to be wherever the heck Roxas is right now.”

“I like spending time with you too you know. I love you.”

“Now if you could only say those words to Roxas.” Riku narrowed his eyes at her, causing Kairi to laugh and wave her hands in the air. “In all seriousness though, I love you too, even if you are a lovesick, brooding, angsty teenage mess right now.”

Riku rolled his eyes. “Says the one who’s been pining after Sora since she was like four.”

“Touché.” Kairi clapped her hands free of dust and dirt. “Gotta admit though, Roxas is lucky to have Mr. Pretty Boy pining over him.”

The older teen threw his head back and groaned. “He told you about that nickname? Of course he did. He just lives to torment me.” Riku looked down at Kairi and pointed at her. “And you got a similar treatment once.”

Kairi tilted her head in confusion. “I did?”

“Wait, you don’t know?”

“Apparently not.”

Riku gave the girl a soft smile and looked out at the setting sun. “A few years after you came to the islands, I developed a bit of a crush on you. Gosh, I must have been like seven years old or something. It lasted for some time until I realized that you had eyes for Sora and vice versa. And eventually, I got over it and learned to love you as a little sister. I realized that seeing you two be happy together would make me far happier than having you as more than a friend.”

Kairi gave Riku a wobbly smile and hugged him. “Riku you big idiot. You’re going to make me cry.”

Riku chuckled and hugged Kairi back. He loved these moments where he got to hug her and just have some one-on-one time with her. He loved her and would give anything to make sure that she got her happy ending. He had been over his romantic feelings for her since he was twelve, but what stayed behind was far stronger. He saw her as family, as pure goodness. It was why he had gone through hell and back to retrieve her missing heart. It was why he had betrayed Sora to protect her. Riku would be damned if he let anyone ever try to harm this girl ever again.

_Riku._

Riku’s hold on Kairi loosened and he looked down at her. “Hm?”

The redhead looked up at him questioningly. “What?”

“You said my name.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yeah, you did. There’s no one else here but you and me.”

“Riku, I was too busy nuzzling my face in your chest to steal your body warmth.”

Riku stepped back and looked around. It was completely empty, save for the two of them. “But then who-”

“Maybe all that dueling has got your brain all scrambled.” Kairi gently knocked Riku on the head to emphasize her point. “How about we get some sea-salt ice cream back at the tower?”

Riku pursed his lips but nodded anyway.

“Awesome! I’ll race you!” And with that, she was off.

Riku went to follow when he stopped and felt a sort of tugging sensation, as if something, or someone, was trying to pull him toward something.

_Riku._

Riku turned to the sunset and the sensation lessened. He walked closer in the sun’s direction and eventually felt the tugging disappear completely. He stopped at the edge of the plateau, briefly wondering if he really was hearing this voice or if he was going completely insane.

“I know you. I know I do.”

He looked off into the sunset for another minute, waiting for something to happen. When nothing ultimately did, he turned on his heel and began to head back. Before he was completely out of sight, he heard one last thing.

_Darkness._

Riku stilled and looked back at the sunset one last time, wondering just who or what was calling him. This was the second time it had happened. A vaguely familiar voice calling out his name, seeming to almost come out of the sunset each time, and now it was uttering the word ‘darkness?’

“I really hope you’re not bad news.”

And without anything left to say or do there, Riku left.

“They’re in freaking Atlantica?! What the hell?!”

Riku, unfortunately, had just walked into the tower at the exact moment that Roxas began to throw a tantrum.

“Calm down Roxas. Nothing you can do about it now,” Lea said.

“This is so not fair. When I have to stay behind, they get to go to some awesome world where they can be underwater and be mermen.”

Riku slowly walked up to Kairi and leaned in to ask, “What’s going on?”

“Your work husband is upset over Ignis’ update on their mission. Specifically about the fun world they’re in apparently,” she answered with a shrug. “I guess he has good memories from Sora’s visits there since he’s mad that he’s not there.”

Riku briefly checked his Gummiphone to see that there was in fact a few messages from the advisor.

**Ignis:** We are currently assisting King Eric and Queen Ariel in finding their daughter.

 **Ignis:** Gladio and I have remained with Eric to continue the search on land while Sora and the others search under the sea due to their new… aquatic abilities.

Kairi took a look at the older teen, then asked, “You okay? You didn’t try to race me back here. Did something happen?”

Riku could tell her, but for what? To worry her over something he didn’t know much about? It was pointless at this time. Before he brought up another problem to add to their growing list, he needed to make sure what it is that was happening with him.

He put his phone away and replied, “Was just looking at the sunset for a bit, that’s all.” It technically wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth either.

Luckily, Kairi found his answer to be sufficient, for she didn’t ask any more questions. Instead, she gestured her head toward Roxas who was now ranting about how Sora was probably having some amazing aquatic adventure while Lea looked like he wanted to escape the teen’s complaining. “Maybe you should save Lea from his misery over there.”

“Isn’t it his job as the best friend to listen to Roxas’ complaints?”

“Come on. Lea already had to go through this teenage phase. He doesn’t need to again.”

“And you think I want to deal with Roxas?”

Kairi crossed her arms and gave Riku a smug smirk. “Oh, I know you do.”

Riku rolled his eyes. “Please. No one likes dealing with a moody Roxas.”

“What the hell did you say, you imposter?” Roxas said.

The silvernette gave Kairi an exasperated look. “See, this is why I didn’t want to deal with him.”

“I can still hear you, you know,” the blonde said.

“Oh, we’re well aware of that.”

Roxas gaped. “Can you believe this Lea-” He stopped midsentence as he realized that Lea was no longer in the room. “Wow. He’d rather be with the princesses than his best friend.”

“Think any of us would choose that option right now.”

Kairi swatted Riku on the shoulder and skipped up to Roxas and interlocked her arm with us. “Don’t listen to this stick in the mud, Roxas. He’s just grumpy because I’m getting better at almost kicking his ass.”

“Did you try the tricks I taught you?” Roxas asked.

“Yeah…”

“Did you let your guard down?”

“… yeah,” Kairi mumbled. “But wouldn’t you Roxas? I mean look at him. He’s just too pretty. He’ll have all our enemies quaking with just his face alone.” Kairi threw Riku a quick smug look.

“That’s why I don’t look into the eyes. They’ll make you freeze in a fight.”

Riku couldn’t help the small blush that crept onto his face. He knew that Roxas was referring to not only his eyes but any opponent’s eyes in general. But he also basically admitted that Riku was in fact pretty. Yeah, he called Riku pretty boy but he never really thought that the blonde actually meant it. It still didn’t mean anything though. Friends could compliment other friends on their looks. This was just Roxas being blunt without knowing how his words affected people.

Besides, the reason he knew that Roxas’ words were far from anything romantic was because of the same reason that Riku never complimented Roxas in _that_ way. It was the same reason why Roxas didn’t compliment Naminé in _that_ way either. They were scared to admit their true feelings to the people they loved. The fact that Roxas blatantly called Riku pretty all the time and admitted to it was a fact in itself that the blonde was very comfortable around Riku but as a friend.

“Eyes are the gateway to the soul,” the redhead said.

“Yep, and I don’t want anyone looking into mine,” the blonde said with a chuckle. “Once they see through you, it’s all over. With you and Sora though, it seems like you two do that 24/7 and are still able to not self-combust.”

Kairi’s cheeks became extremely red and Riku laughed. “So now we’re teasing Kairi. That’s something I can do.” He leaned an arm on the girl’s head, getting her to release an irritated huff. “How do you and Sora do that? Like, it’d make sense if you guys were a thing, but you aren’t. So how do you two not go up in flames when staring oh so lovingly into each other’s eyes every time you’re in a room together?”

“Well maybe because unlike some people we’re not trying to hide how we feel.”

“Hey!” Riku and Roxas both exclaimed. They looked at each other in surprise, then tried to compose themselves.

“What do you mean?” Roxas asked a bit insulted.

“I mean that you two have some issues with expressing affection, that’s all. Yeah, Sora and I haven’t outright told each other how we feel, but we’re not oblivious to it either. It’s just not the right time.”

Riku’s mouth downturned into a frown as he saw Kairi’s expression become somber. Instinctually, he was going to go comfort her when Roxas beat him to it.

The blonde teen unlocked his arm from hers and turned her to face him. He gripped her shoulders and looked at her. “Kairi, I don’t think there’s ever a right time to do anything. I think you’re just supposed to act when the feeling is that strong.”

Kairi sniffled. “You should try following your own advice.”

Roxas sighed and pulled Kairi in for a hug. “I’m a shit person at taking my own advice. You know that. But you’re smarter than me, so I know you’ll be just fine, even if it does hurt right now.”

Kairi gripped tightly onto the blonde’s jacket and hid her face in it. She began to shake as small soft sobs coursed through her body and Roxas could only hold her.

Riku desperately wanted to be the one to comfort Kairi, but he knew that it had to be Roxas. If anything, Roxas was the closest thing she had to Sora, so maybe some reassurance from the blonde would do her some good.

When they did pull away, Roxas leaned down and placed a kiss on Kairi’s forehead. After he did, a befuddled look came upon his face, and then his cheeks heated up in embarrassment. “Sorry, that was weird. I don’t know why I did that.”

A smile finally spread on Kairi’s face. “Because you care. Thank you, Roxas.” She turned to Riku who was watching her with worried eyes. She walked up to him and hugged him, giggling when he returned it tightly. “Cause I know you were dying to hug me.”

“Yeah, I was. You okay?”

Kairi nodded. “Better, thanks to you guys.” She jumped up and clapped her hands. “Why don’t we drown our sorrows in ice cream?”

“Sounds good.”

“I’m up for ice cream,” Roxas said.

“Great! I’ll be right back,” Kairi said, then left the room.

It was just Riku and Roxas left. Riku couldn’t help but wonder how this kept on happening. Was the universe playing some sort of game with him? Did it like watching him suffer?

He did want to tell Roxas something though, so he stepped forward and met the boy’s gaze. “Thanks by the way.”

“For what?” he asked.

“For what you just did. For being there for her. I know how much she misses Sora, so hearing those words from you, and getting that comfort from you who used to be a part of the boy she loves, must mean the world to her right now.”

“Oh, I guess I never thought of it that way. I just wanted to make her feel better. She’s my friend. Well, if I’m being honest, it feels a little stronger than that.”

Riku was going to tease the other but decided better of it. Roxas seemed like he was being honest with him right now so the least he could do was listen. “What do you mean?”

Roxas ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “I’m pretty sure it’s because I used to be part of Sora, but I sometimes feel like I have to protect her, you know? Not like a love thing or anything but more like a…”

“A sibling thing?”

“Yeah, yeah that’s exactly what it feels like. Is it the same for you?”

Riku chuckled and wrapped an arm around Roxas’ shoulders. “You have no idea. Welcome to the Kairi Protection Squad. You’re an honorary brother to her now.”

Roxas laughed. “I’ll do my best.”

Riku’s smile wavered the slightest bit as he formulated what he was about to say. “About what Kairi said, I think you should follow your own advice. Just go for it.”

Roxas shook his head and sighed. “It’s not that easy Riku. If I ended up going through with it, I might end up losing a friend. I don’t want that to happen. It would break my heart.”

“Isn’t your heart breaking by not setting those emotions free?”

Roxas looked up at the silvernette with big wide cerulean eyes. “Isn’t yours?”

Riku stilled at Roxas’ words. How did the blonde know that he was going through a similar ordeal? Roxas was definitely much more perceptive than he gave him credit for.

“Guess we’re both a couple of stubborn idiots.”

Roxas gave the older teen a good-natured pat on the back. “True that.”

* * *

The air was crisp and cool, and the sunlight was nice and warm. It was a perfect day; well it would be if there was any life on this created world.

Ienzo’s fringe tickled his cheek as it swayed with the wind. It was a bit troublesome to have such long bangs, but he could never bring himself to cut it. He felt like it would be such a shock to himself if he did. Perhaps it was a sort of security blanket for him.

He looked up at the small bunch of flowers he was attempting to sketch. They were lily of the valley flowers. They were rather small and white, but gorgeous, nonetheless. When he saw them growing in the gardens, he was instantly drawn to them.

So he had sat down and begun sketching them, trying to capture their beauty as best as he could. He was by no means an artist. If anything, he kept erasing parts of the sketch because he felt that it wasn’t adequate enough. He couldn’t help but think that if Naminé were here, she would be able to draw the flowers perfectly.

The flowers reminded him of her. Maybe that’s why he had to sketch them.

It was nice to be outside and enjoy the quiet for some time, to have time to himself. It was nice to just decompress and be with his own thoughts and with whatever was around him.

“Ah! Shit!”

Well, it was nice while it lasted.

At hearing the noise, Ienzo had dropped his notebook and pencil and jumped from his spot on the grass. He turned around to find Noctis on the floor, face down in the grass. He had leaves and twigs in his hair. Judging by the tree that was looming over the prince, it was safe to say that he had fallen out of it. Why? Ienzo had no idea.

The slate-haired male got up and ran to Noctis’ side. “Are you alright?”

The only response he got from Noctis was a groan that was muffled by the grass.

“What were you doing up there?”

Noctis turned over and sighed. “I honestly don’t know man. I just had the sudden urge to climb something, so I saw that tree and was like, hey, that looks fun to climb.” He put an arm over his eyes to block the sunlight. “I completely forgot that I can’t use my powers, so I couldn’t warp before I hit the ground.”

Ienzo furrowed his brows in confusion. “To put it in Demyx’s words, what the fuck man?”

Noctis laughed and sat up, leaning on his elbows. “I don’t know. I think I’m just trying to keep myself busy on these days where we have nothing to do. What were you doing out here by the way?”

“I was sketching. Just enjoying the peace and quiet out here.”

“Until I came crashing down, right?”

Ienzo chuckled. “Pretty much, yes.”

Noctis sat up properly now and shook his head to try and rid himself of the leaves and twigs. “Did I get them all?”

Ienzo shook his head and picked out the remaining leaves. “You say you’re a prince, but you don’t act the part.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. What were you sketching anyway?”

Ienzo got up and went to grab his book. He sat by Noctis and opened it to the page he had been sketching. “I was sketching a lily of the valley. Forgive me, it’s not that good.”

Noctis leaned over to better see the page. “What are you talking about? That’s pretty damn good to me. I can’t even draw a stick figure.”

“I’d imagine that royalty would have to be perfect at nearly every subject.”

“Not this prince. I think the only thing I can do is ballroom dance, swing a sword around, and act like I’m entitled.”

Ienzo quirked a smile. “May look like a prince, but definitely doesn’t act like one.” He turned to Noctis, a question on the tip of his tongue. “Noctis, you’re an adult, correct?”

“Yeah, or at least I’d like to think so.” At Ienzo’s confused look, Noctis further explained. “Physically I’m an adult but Iggy always says that mentally I’m a child. And you know what, considering what just happened five minutes ago, I think he might be right. Why do you ask? Is it ‘cause you need a grown-up to give you the talk or something? Please don’t let it be that.”

The scholar shook his head frantically. “No, no, nothing like that! It’s just…”

“Just?”

“Does it get easier? Being a person, I mean.”

Noctis took a few seconds to think. He wasn’t sure if he was completely qualified to answer this question. After all, he was only 21. What advice could he possibly give to a struggling nineteen-year-old? Then he figured that he should tell Ienzo what he would have liked for his own father to tell him when he was a teenager.

“I’ma be honest with you and not sugar coat it, okay? Life doesn’t get easier. It just doesn’t. But it gets easier to deal with if that makes sense. Like, how do I put this?” He took a moment to collect his thoughts so he wouldn’t spout out a bunch of word vomit that the boy wouldn’t understand. “When I was a teenager, I was shit at dealing with emotions. Complete shit. I was terrible at interacting with people too. It wasn’t until I was twenty and went through a whole mess of stuff that I learned how to handle all that better. I guess what I’m trying to say is that even though life doesn’t get easier, you get better at handling it.”

Ienzo ran a hand through his hair and huffed. “I see.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“I guess I was hoping I would get an answer that would put me more at ease. It’s silly of me to think that life itself could get easier.”

“I’m not saying that life is gonna be difficult 24/7. Sure, you’ll have some nice easy flowing days, but the rest is gonna take a lot of pushing through, you know?” Noctis bumped his shoulder against Ienzo’s. “But hey, gotta enjoy the little moments in between, right?”

A small grin appeared on the slate-haired male’s face. “You mean like these?”

Noctis rolled his eyes but nodded. “Yes, like these.”

They looked out at the gardens in silence. It was a nice comfortable silence, one that they both needed. Lately, all Ienzo had been doing was constant work and when he was working, so was Noctis. Noctis just couldn’t keep still. He was always looking for something to do to keep busy, and that usually involved helping Ienzo around the lab.

Considering what Noctis had told him, it was a bit out of sorts for the raven. From the stories Noctis would tell him about his life in Eos, the raven seemed like someone who’d rather sleep and play video games than help with scientific research. He wondered if maybe Noctis was keeping busy to keep his mind off of the worries gnawing at him. Maybe Noctis climbed that tree to be around Ienzo but not disturb him. Maybe Noctis, despite his little speech about dealing with life, was having more trouble than he let on.

Ienzo wished he was better at dealing with emotions, he truly did. He wanted to help Noctis like the prince had helped him all this time. It wasn’t that Noctis only helped with his work, but he was always there to make sure that Ienzo didn’t overwork himself. Just like Demyx, he was always making sure that he was taking care of himself too. A grin appeared as Ienzo realized that Demyx and Noctis almost acted like mother hens. Although coming from Demyx, there was a slight difference to it.

Demyx.

That was a whole other subject that tugged at Ienzo constantly, especially after Noctis asked him if there was someone _special_ to him.

Ienzo had never lingered on the concept of love. He had felt that it was a completely overrated emotion and one that was not worth dealing with. Love was ugly and messy. It left behind heartbreak and dependability.

When Ienzo first felt love, he decided he could deal with it. After all, the first type of love he had felt in a long time was platonic love from looking after Naminé. With this type of love, it was less risky to be hurt. Granted, he was separated from her right now and missed her dearly, but he knew as long as she was safe, he could deal with the hurt.

But romantic love was a completely different feeling, one that was dangerous, and he had caught it without even meaning to.

His mind had been constantly filled with thoughts of how Demyx’s hair had dark roots that faded into blonde, how his original eye color was a beautiful bright aqua-green, how he had a serene and gentle look on his face when he played sitar, how his positive energy was comforting…

But Ienzo knew nothing of Demyx. Sure, he knew his personality and where his heart was guiding him, but he literally knew nothing of Demyx’s past, and neither did Demyx for that fact. Hell, he didn’t even know how old Demyx was. He couldn’t have been that much older than him, right? He certainly didn’t look that much older than him at least.

“Uh oh. You’re thinking, and it’s really hard thinking too.”

Ienzo was brought out of his thoughts by the prince’s voice. “I just realized that you’re the first person I’ve befriended that is close to my age.”

Noctis blinked at the other, tilting his head. “Really? What about Demyx?”

“No one knows how old Demyx is so I can’t place him in that category.”

“Ah, I see. Is it weird? That I’m the closest age-range friend you have?”

“It’s different. I think it’s because you seem to understand more.”

“I mean, similar age group, similar thought process. Makes sense. So who were your other friends then?”

“Young teenagers and older adults. I believe Lea was the youngest adult I knew before you. He’s 25. There’s Leon, Cloud, Aerith and Tifa too, but I never really interacted with them much.”

“Not much of a social butterfly?”

“More like I’m simply not meant for socializing.”

Noctis hummed in acknowledgment. “I get you. It can be overwhelming and feel unnatural at times, but the more you do it, the less forced it becomes. And hey, you might even come to like talking to people.”

“I like talking to you and Demyx.”

Noctis smirked. “Oh, I _know_. Especially Demyx.”

“How did you and Prompto confess your feelings?”

Noctis was taken aback by Ienzo’s sudden and rather enthusiastic question.

“I’m- I’m sorry if that was intrusive…”

“No, no. It’s fine. Was just caught a little off guard, that’s all. I didn’t think you’d be interested in finding out about that sort of thing.”

“You refer to it like it’s a bad thing.”

“You seem to treat it like it is.”

Ienzo shook his head. “I’m just wary of it, but also intrigued.”

Noctis smiled. “Love is weird like that. When Prom and I finally confessed, it’s ‘cause we thought we would never see each other again. That’s what really pushed us. We had almost lost each other, and we didn’t want to go on at least not letting the other know what we really felt.”

“So you’re saying that a life or death situation is best for confessing romantic feelings. Understood.”

Noctis laughed, knowing that Ienzo was joking. “The moment will come, but don’t put it off until it’s too late either.”

“And what if he doesn’t feel the same? What then?”

“First of all, I doubt that would happen, but if it did, is that the worst thing? Sure, it’ll hurt, but he’ll still be in your life, no doubt about it. The point is, at least you’ll have that feeling off your chest, those suppressed feelings.”

“And how will I know when the moment is right?”

“You just will. Trust me. We all have these weird instincts and stuff built in. You’ll know. Plus, sometimes you just create the moment yourself.”

“Relying on instincts is unreliable in itself.”

Noctis chuckled. “Maybe, but it usually works.”

Another moment of silence passed before Ienzo asked his next question. “How are you holding up?”

Another question that took Noctis by surprise. “I’m doing fine.”

“How are you truly feeling?”

Noctis bit his lip in thought. He seemed to be contemplating something. Perhaps he truly didn’t know how he felt and needed to sort out his emotions.

“I think I’ve been trying to push away the bad feelings lately, like the worry and constant anxiety and fear. I guess that means I’m not okay as I’d like to be, but you and Demyx make it more bearable. I’ve felt kinda lonely in the sense that I miss being around the people I’m closest to.”

“I understand. I get that feeling sometimes too because of missing Naminé. It makes me work all the more to try and get out of here faster.”

“It makes me wonder what’ll happen to Demyx though.”

An unsettling feeling took place in Ienzo’s stomach. If things didn’t go well during their escape, whenever that may be, Demyx would surely be the one to suffer.

“If everything goes well, he will be fine.”

“How though? Can’t Mansex track him down?”

Ienzo raised a brow. “Mansex?”

“Sorry. Xemnas.”

“Yes, because Demyx is a part of Xehanort so to speak.”

“Unless he disassociated himself from Xehanort. Weakened the connection maybe?”

“That would work, but the darkness tethered to him is incredibly strong. I’m not sure how one would go about it.”

“A topic for another time then.” Noctis said as he lied on the grass. “It’s our day off anyway.”

Ienzo smiled and followed suit, looking up at the sky. “I suppose so.”

They spent the rest of the day just enjoying each other’s company and discussing things other than research, the darkness, or the Organization. They were just able to be Noctis and Ienzo, two people that were probably never supposed to meet, but did, and became good friends as a result of the universe’s weird mistake.

Or maybe it wasn’t a mistake. Maybe it was meant to be.

It was about a week later when Demyx returned.

Ienzo and Noctis had taken their work outside with them today and were sitting in the gardens. Ienzo was going over his research and making notes here and there, while Noctis was helping him with some equations (the prince was surprisingly beyond proficient at math) that were associated with figuring out the approximations for the serum.

They had been working for a couple of hours when a dark corridor had appeared before them. Out stepped Demyx, a small frown upon his face that quickly changed into a smile upon seeing Noctis and Ienzo.

“Heya guys! I brought a souvenir for you.”

“More ice cream?” Noctis guessed.

“Better.” Demyx handed the raven his phone.

“My phone.”

“Check your gallery.”

Noctis gave the dirty blonde a questioning look but proceeded to scroll through his phone. Ienzo looked over Noctis’ shoulder, curious as to what this possible souvenir was. When Noctis tapped the gallery icon, it popped open to show that there was a new video. The raven tapped on it and instantly gasped at seeing two familiar faces pop up on the screen. Ienzo couldn’t help but react the same.

_The video showed Sora and who Ienzo assumed to be Prompto, smiling up at the camera. They were half-submerged in water, the ocean perhaps, and were waving at the camera._

_“Hey!” the two greeted._

_“Noct, Ienzo, we’re just letting you know that we’re doing all we can to save you guys. Don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten about you,” Sora said._

_“Yeah! We’ve been through some crazy shit to not only save other worlds but to find you guys too. Also, hi Ienzo. I’m Prompto, Noct’s boyfriend, but according to Demyx you might probably know that, but hey, any friend of Noct’s is a friend of mine. Thanks for being there for Noct and looking after him with Demyx. It means a lot to me that he has some sort of support and good friends by his side. He… he needs all the support he can get right now more than ever. I hope that he’s being just as good a friend to you. I’m sure he is.”_

_Prompto’s eyes began to water and Sora took this time to butt in. “We just need you to hang in there a bit more, okay? We’re starting to piece some things together that’ll hopefully bring us closer to you guys. Everyone’s working real hard to find you. Us, Donald, Goofy, Ignis, Gladio, Riku and Roxas, Naminé and the committee in Radiant Garden, the king… you’ve got so many people looking for you two, so don’t worry. What you should be worried about are all the hugs you guys are gonna get when we find you. You’ll be so sick of us that Noct will probably warp you guys away.”_

_A few seconds passed until Prompto spoke again. “Noct, I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart. I’m always thinking of you and there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss your dorky smile or your cheesy jokes. Just know that I’m taking you with me wherever I go and you’re guiding me, because you have my heart.”_

_Sora and Prompto briefly looked up past the camera for a moment, no doubt looking at Demyx. Then, they turned their attention back._

_“Well, we’ve gotta wrap this up, but know that we’re gonna find you. We won’t stop until we do,” Prompto said with assurance._

_“Yep! There’s nothing that’s gonna stop us from reaching you two. Until then, be there for each other and enjoy the peace and quiet from us!” Sora jested._

_The brunette and freckled blonde laughed and waved at the camera, saying a cheerful not goodbye, but see you later._

When the video finished, Ienzo couldn’t help but feel all warm inside. He felt all types of emotions right now, but mostly he felt hope.

Ienzo knew that Sora and the others had never stopped looking for them, but it was still reassuring when he heard the words himself. And Prompto expressing his gratitude to Ienzo, someone he didn’t know, filled his heart even more. Noctis truly was lucky to have someone like Prompto in his life.

Speaking of Noctis, the raven was trembling beside him which worried Ienzo instantly. “Noctis?”

Noctis shook his head and wiped at an eye. “I… uh… I just need a minute to myself, that’s all. Sorry.”

The prince stood and left. Ienzo watched as he disappeared from his view. He wanted to help Noctis, but he understood that the raven needed a moment to process everything. That was perfectly fine, but Ienzo would make sure to talk about it with him later.

The slate-haired male looked up at Demyx, and another cluster of emotions hit him. He was mostly hit with relief. Relief at seeing the Melodious Nocturne safe and sound with him.

Ienzo got up and walked up to Demyx, not faltering as he wrapped the other in a hug.

“Ienzo?”

“I missed you,” Ienzo said into Demyx’s shoulder.

It took a whole two seconds for Demyx to process the other male’s words and return the hug. “I missed you too ‘Enzo. I missed you a lot.”

Ienzo felt Demyx breathe in deeply and let out shaky breaths. Something was eating at him. Ienzo knew that. He could tell from the look Demyx had when he got out of the portal.

“You seem troubled,” the slate-haired male said, not breaking away from the hug, and he didn’t plan to any time soon, not if he could help it.

Demyx let out a huff. “I just came back from a world where I had to lead a kid down a bad road which will only cause complete chaos to everyone there. I felt so terrible and I just- I just want it all to be over ‘Enzo. I’m so tired of ruining people’s lives.”

Ienzo reached up and ran a hand through the back of Demyx’s hair. “If Sora is there, you know you didn’t ruin anyone’s life.”

“Doesn’t change the severity of what I did.”

“Demyx, you know that this doesn’t make you a bad person, right?”

“It definitely does. I mean, my eyes are freaking yellow for crying out loud.”

Ienzo pulled back just enough to cup Demyx’s face in his hands. Demyx on the other hand didn’t release his hold on the shorter male.

“I had noticed this some time ago, but I wasn’t sure if it was just my imagination or a trick of the light. But now seeing it up close, I know it’s true.” He tilted Demyx’s head a bit lower to really look at his eyes. “There’s a thin ring of aqua-green around your pupils. It’s almost as if the color is trying to bleed into the yellow. It’s… actually quite beautiful.”

Demyx chuckled, a soft smile spreading on his face. “I’m not the beautiful one here.”

The way that Demyx was looking at him made Ienzo’s heart stop. He was looking at him so softly and so full of something else… perhaps admiration?... that Ienzo did not know how to respond.

“You… you don’t really mean that, do you?”

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

“Oh.”

Demyx’s grip tightened for a few seconds, then loosened. His smile twitched down into a small frown as he released the slate-haired male and took a step back. He sighed and ran a hand through his mohawk-mullet. “Just ‘cause some weird thing is happening with my eyes, doesn’t change what I’ve done, ‘Enzo.”

“Well, think what you will, but I see the good in you Demyx. I believe you are good.”

“Thanks ‘Enzo.” Demyx caught himself and gave an apologetic smile. “Sorry about the nickname. I guess it just sort of slipped out.”

Ienzo shook his head, completely unbothered. “It’s fine. I kind of like it. It’s growing on me.”

And that smile came back onto Demyx’s face. “‘Enzo it is then. So, wanna make a ‘feel good’ lunch for Noct? Really looked like he could use it.”

Ienzo smiled. “I think we all could, but yes. That sounds lovely.”

On the way to the kitchens, Ienzo couldn’t help but sneak glances at the other male’s eyes. The sunlight brought out the green of his eyes and made that stand out way more than the over encumbering yellow.

It truly was beautiful.

* * *

“Melody don’t do it. Don’t trust her!”

Those are the first words that Sora and Prompto heard as they got closer to the rock formation which turned out to be a sort of half-submerged grotto. Upon entering the space, they saw a half-woman half-octopus that could only be Morgana, a teenage mermaid that they assumed was Melody, and Ariel. Melody was at Morgana’s side, holding the trident, but she and her mother seemed to be in shock staring at each other.

“You’re a mermaid?” they both asked in surprise.

Sora and Prompto came to a swift stop behind Ariel, taking in the scene. Weirdly enough, it almost looked like it was Melody and Morgana against the three of them by the way they were facing each other. Prompto briefly thought that this was not going to end up going well.

“Morgana, what did you do?” Ariel asked, anger evident in her tone.

“I just gave poor sweet Melody everything she’s ever wanted. She’s finally embracing who she really is,” the sea witch replied.

“You know nothing about her!”

“And you don’t either mom!” Melody exclaimed. “I’ve never felt like I belonged anywhere but in the sea. I’m the laughing stock of the kingdom because I’m different, because I’m weird. All this time, I thought there was something wrong with me and I wanted to be normal so bad.” Melody’s grip on the trident tightened. “The only place I felt like myself was in the sea, and now I know why. It’s because of you, because you were born a mermaid, weren’t you?”

“Yes but-”

“And you kept that from me all these years?” Melody sounded hurt and the pain she felt was evident in her eyes. “You let me think there was something wrong with me all these years, just to keep me from the sea?”

“Melody, I was just trying to protect you from her. She wants to hurt you.”

“Funny, because she’s the only one that’s helped me find out where I belong.”

“Melody, I’m sorry! I really am, but you have to believe me!” Ariel pleaded.

Melody gave Ariel a cold glare and handed the trident to Morgana. “Sorry mom, but it’s too late.”

“Ah crap,” Prompto muttered.

Morgana let out an echoing evil laugh that seemed to travel beyond the grotto’s walls. Darkness swirled around the sea witch and her eyes turned black with wisps of purple swirling around in them.

Sora summoned his keyblade and Prompto summoned his gun as Morgana reached out with one of her many legs and grabbed Ariel.

“Let go of her!” Sora demanded as he aimed the keyblade at the sea witch.

Morgana rolled her eyes in annoyance. “Oh please. I don’t have time to deal with the likes of you.”

She raised the trident and zapped Sora and Prompto, sending them crashing into a small cavern. Prompto raised his head just in time to see Morgana throw Melody into the cavern as well.

“Oh, and by the way, your time as a mermaid is just about expired,” the sea witch said as she sealed the opening of the cavern with dark black ice.

Melody swam up to the ice and began to pound on it with her fists. Sora got up and struck the ice multiple times with no luck.

“Get back,” he told Melody. He then cast a variety of spells at the ice, but it was no use. Each one didn’t even make a dent in the barrier. “It’s no use. It’s made out of darkness, and a powerful type.”

Melody sunk to the floor and covered her face. “This is all my fault. I should have never come out here.”

“Hey, don’t say that. We all need to find ourselves every once in a while. I did my soul searching like a year ago. I mean, I was pushed off a train to do it, but I still did it despite a whole facility of half-human robots and my ‘dad’ trying to kill me,” Prompto said.

“Wow. That sounds worse in some way.”

“It’s the traumatic baggage that makes it worse.” The freckled blonde shrugged as if what he just said was no big deal.

The smallest of smiles appeared on Melody’s face. “I’m Melody by the way. Who are you two and what are you doing here?”

“I’m Prompto and that’s Sora.”

“We’re friends of your mom. I actually knew her when she was my age,” Sora explained.

The princess furrowed her brows in confusion. “How is that possible?”

“It involves explaining a lot we don’t have time for right now. The point is, we were helping in the search for you. You’ve got everyone worrying on land and under the sea.”

“Not to mention that now that Morgana has your grandfather’s trident, she’s pretty much ruler of the seas, right?” Prompto said.

“Yep,” the brunette affirmed. “Which is why we gotta find a way out of here fast.”

“Wait a minute. You’re saying I stole from my grandfather who happens to be the ruler of Atlanti- ow!”

Sora and Prompto turned in alarm to Melody who was now clutching her stomach with a painful expression. The brunette instantly swam up to the girl in worry. “Melody, what’s wrong?”

“I- I don’t know. I- ah!” Bubbles came out of Melody’s mouth, and her eyes widened in panic. “What’s- what’s happening?” As soon as she uttered those words, her tail split into two human legs and Melody held whatever breath she had left.

“Oh shit, oh shit!” Prompto said.

“Prom, you got any ideas?” Sora said as he held Melody up so she wouldn’t have to waste more oxygen in keeping herself floating.

“Um, let’s see.”

Prompto summoned his bioblaster and unleashed a powerful shockwave against the ice which did nothing. He then tried the auto crossbow but whimpered as the bolts bounced off the barrier. The circular saw, drillbreaker, noiseblaster, and even gravity-well did nothing either. Prompto wasn’t sure what else to do. He had nothing else left except for his gun Quicksilver.

He summoned it and pointed at the ice. “Please, please work.”

Prompto fired and to his surprise, the bullet struck a hole in the icy barrier. He fired a few more shots around the ice until cracks spread throughout it, erupting with light and eventually causing the barrier to explode.

With no time to waste, Sora and Prompto swam up as fast as they could until they broke through the surface of the water. Melody gasped for breath and shivered once Sora placed her on a piece of a glacier. He cast a small aero spell on her to dry her off.

Melody stood up with a renowned sense of determination. “We need to stop Morgana.”

“I second that notion,” Prompto said as he leaned against the glacier.

“Where’s everyone else though? King Triton, Donald, and Goofy weren’t with Ariel, and who knows where Eric, Gladio, and Ignis are right now?” asked Sora.

Prompto suddenly lit up with an idea. “Hmm, I think I know how we can find them.”

* * *

“Where the hell did this storm come from?” Gladio asked as he leaned over the railing of the ship.

“I don’t know. It came out of nowhere,” Eric responded.

“Considering our luck, I’m willing to assume that this storm isn’t just an unprecedented product of nature,” Ignis said as he looked out at the angry waves.

Thunder boomed overhead and a steady pour of heavy rain began to fall on them. The ship rocked back and forth as it fought against the crashing high tides. This didn’t deter Eric at all from trying to keep control over the ship at the helm.

As if that wasn’t enough, a handful of Heartless suddenly appeared on the ship. These looked very different from any that Gladio and Ignis had previously seen. These were a dark green color, scaly and slimy, with razor-sharp claws and teeth. They had gills on the sides of their faces which made them look very much like some sort of sea monster you would read about in old folk tales. The Heartless stared back at the two with their signature glowing yellow eyes, as if they were sizing them up.

“We mustn’t let them get to King Eric. If anything happens to him, this ship will be under the waves before we know it,” the advisor said as he summoned his daggers.

Gladio smirked and summoned his shield and broadsword. “I was getting bored anyway.”

Upon seeing the weapons, one of the Heartless opened its mouth and projectile vomited a green slimy substance in their direction. Gladio held up his shield, blocking the disgusting substance. The substance that did fall to the floor burned through it, sizzling as it ate away at the wood of the deck.

“Some sort of acid then?” Ignis inquired.

“Who cares what the hell it is, just don’t let it touch you.”

The Heartless leaped toward them and the battle began. Gladio knocked aside a Heartless at its feeble attempt at pouncing on him. The creature instantly got up and spat out acid, creating another hole in the floor.

“Do try to mind the exterior of the ship. If enough damage is done, we will be swimming with the fishes,” Ignis said as he sent a couple of daggers flying toward a couple of the Heartless.

“Yeah, ‘cause I’m the one puking up all this green stuff.” Gladio grunted as he dodge-rolled another spout of acid.

Gladio was getting extremely irritated just only after a couple of minutes of fending off the creatures. Neither he nor Ignis were able to seriously hurt any of the Heartless. Not only were they fast, but their scales were so strong that any attacks Gladio or Ignis were able to get in were mere scratches to the Heartless.

“How the hell do we hurt these things?” Gladio grunted.

“I’m not certain. What I do know is that if we don’t put a stop to them soon, this ship will not last much longer,” Ignis said.

“It’d be easier if their stupid scales weren’t shatter-proof.”

Ignis’ head perked up. “Gladio, do we have any filled magic flasks in the armiger?”

Gladio pushed against one of the Heartless with his shield and stepped back to the advisor’s side. “I don’t know. Maybe? Depends if Noct’s lazy ass remembered to fill them.”

“I only need one. A particular one.” No sooner had Ignis reached out with his hand did a magic flask appear.

“Not sure how much good magic is gonna do to these guys, Iggy.”

“Oh, I doubt the magic will do much damage itself, but it will allow us to defeat them.”

Gladio took a closer look at the flask. “Is that ice magic?”

“Do you know what happens to metal when it freezes Gladio? It can be shattered. If my theory is correct, and the Heartless have metal-like scales, then this magic should freeze them to the point that our attacks-”

“Will destroy these motherfuckers.”

“Yes.” Ignis tossed the flask in the air and caught it. “Are you ready?”

Gladio nodded. “Let’s kill these bastards.”

Ignis threw the flask at one of the Heartless and it exploded, unleashing a mini blizzard. The Heartless instantly seized up, their scales frosting over. They moved much more slowly to the point where their attacks could be dodged just by walking away.

Gladio easily swiped his broadsword at the Heartless, shattering them into pieces. Ignis struck the Heartless through with his javelin and smashed them against the wooden railing of the ship. They defeated the Heartless in no time.

“I’m mad that we didn’t think of that sooner,” Gladio said as his broadsword vanished.

“You mean that _I_ thought of it sooner.”

“You’re right. I’m mad at _you_ for not thinking of that sooner.”

Ignis rolled his eyes and made his way to the helm where Eric was. “Hope we didn’t cause too much of a ruckus.”

Eric shook his head. “I’ve sailed through worse. Just wondering where this storm came from.”

“You sound like you have an idea,” Gladio said as he made his way to Ignis’ side.

Eric grimaced at the shield’s words. “Maybe, but I don’t want it to be true.”

“Enlighten us then,” Ignis said.

As Eric opened his mouth to speak, a figure suddenly shot out of the ocean and loomed over them. The figure let out a malicious laugh that Eric had unfortunately heard before twelve years ago.

“Morgana,” Eric breathed out.

“I think we’ve just been enlightened,” Gladio commented as he looked up at the sea witch.

“Eric! Long time no see. How’s the family?” Morgana said with a devilish smile. “Oh wait, you probably don’t know. Your father in law is powerless,” she raised the trident in emphasis, “your daughter is probably dead by now, and your wife is, well I’m going to kill her myself.” One of her long slimy legs came from behind her to reveal Ariel in its grasp. Her mouth was covered by the tip of the leg wrapped around it.

“Ariel!” Eric called out. “Morgana let her go and give me back my daughter! You have what you want!”

“I told you already, your daughter is dead. And who said that the trident was the only thing I wanted? What I want, more than anything, is to see you and your family suffer.”

Ignis and Gladio groaned, gaining Morgana’s attention.

“Is there a problem?” she asked, clearly annoyed.

“We’ve just been through the whole, ‘I want to see you and your bloodline die out’, sort of thing,” Gladio said.

“And I can tell you right now, it is not going to end well for you,” Ignis said with complete confidence.

“Oh really? How can you be so sure?”

“Because Iggy has great aim,” Gladio said smugly.

“What?”

Ignis swiftly threw a dagger in Morgan’s direction, specifically the leg that was wrapped around Ariel. The dagger embedded itself in her leg, causing it to loosen its hold on the mermaid. Eric caught her before she could hit the floor of the ship and Ignis and Gladio stood in front of the two protectively.

“You will pay for this,” Morgana hissed. “Undertow!”

A small fish with razor-sharp teeth popped its head out of the water. It seemed to be moving its mouth but Ignis and Gladio couldn’t understand what it was saying. They figured that only Morgana and Ariel could hear what the fish was saying.

Morgana pointed the glowing trident at the fish. “Get me Ariel and Eric. Do whatever you want with the other two but bring Ariel and Eric to me alive. I need to start preparing.” She shot the fish, Undertow, with the magic from the trident and dived into the ocean. Undertow, on the other hand, was growing bigger by the second until he was a shark that was nearly the size of the ship.

“Don’t suppose we got anymore filled up magic flasks?” Gladio asked.

“Unfortunately, Noctis’ ‘lazy ass’ only filled the one,” Ignis replied.

“How the hell do we fight a shark that’s in the ocean? Unless you wanna throw a hundred daggers at him, Iggy.”

Eric quickly put Ariel down and took control of the wheel. “We don’t. We’re gonna have to try and lose him. We should find Sora and the others. They’ll be able to help.”

Just a couple of miles away, a bright light suddenly erupted in the air from behind a glacier. What was particularly unusual was that it left behind a ball of glowing light up in the air.

“Is that Prompto’s flare?” Ignis asked.

Gladio grinned. “King Eric, head for that light. We’re gonna find them sooner than we thought.”

* * *

Melody climbed up onto the peak of the glacier and looked out at the raging sea. Lightning struck down in various places, thunder boomed, rain poured down, and the waves threatened to swallow anything in their path. In the far distance, she could see a tall slim dark glacier and at the top of it, darkness swirled around. She assumed Morgana was sitting atop it. Lightning struck around the tall glacier, lighting it up every few seconds.

“See anything?” Sora asked from the water.

“Morgana has her own throne now. It’s about as tall as the castle. Maybe even taller,” the girl replied.

“Villains and their dramatics, I swear. Anything else?”

“It’s too dark to see anything else.”

“What if I shoot another flare? Think that’ll help?” Prompto suggested.

“It might. Just shoot it a little more in front of me.”

“Roger that. Just make sure to duck.”

Melody laid flat against the cold glacier as she heard the flare go off into the air. She looked up to see it burst a few yards in front of her, lighting up the view and revealing something in the near distance. Melody squinted and crept a bit closer to the edge to see that the figure was actually a ship. It was her father’s ship.

“Dad?”

Melody’s heart jumped with hope as she saw the ship get closer. She slid down the peak of the glacier until she was safely at the bottom where Sora and Prompto were waiting for her, still in the water.

“My dad’s ship! I see it! It’s coming this way!”

“Aha! I’m a genius,” Prompto said with confidence as he twirled his gun.

They didn’t have to wait too long for the ship to reach them. However, when it did, it showed no signs of stopping and it was apparent as to why.

A giant shark was chasing the ship.

“Melody, do you trust us?” Sora asked.

“Considering you guys saved my life, then yes,” she answered.

“Alright. Prompto, I need you to give Melody a boost and lift her as high as you can into the air. Then, I’m going to launch her to the ship.”

As much as the blonde and the raven-haired girl wanted to rethink the quickly thought out plan, there was no time. Instead, Prompto held his hands out and nodded to Melody who stepped into his hands and was pushed up into the air. She only had a couple of seconds of being still in the air when she suddenly heard wind brush around her and shoot her to the ship. The girl grabbed hold of the lines of the ship once she was close enough.

Melody let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding and climbed down onto the deck. She nearly slipped on the wet floor, but a hand caught her by the arm.

“Easy there Miss,” a man with glasses said.

“Thank you.” Melody looked around and noticed that another man she didn’t know was on the ship. At the helm was her father who was looking at her with relief. Next to him, sitting on the floor was her mother, still a mermaid but beyond happy to see her daughter safe.

“Melody, you’re okay!” Ariel said, desperately wanting to go to her daughter.

Melody went to her mother and hugged her. “I’m sorry mom. I should have listened to you.”

Ariel shook her head. “No, I’m sorry for keeping the truth hidden from you for so long.”

“Sorry to interrupt the moment, but we really must figure out what our next plan of attack is. And there is still the matter of the shark,” the man that had helped her earlier said.

“Ignis is right,” Eric said. “First things first, we have to get rid of this shark.”

“Anyone got any bright ideas?” the bulky man asked.

Melody stood up, suddenly hit with a rather good idea if she did say so herself. “Actually, I think I have an actual bright idea.”

“Let’s hear it then.”

“Prompto’s gun can shoot those flares. Can flares explode?”

The man in glasses, Ignis, put a hand to his chin in thought. “If exposed to certain things such as chemicals or heat, then yes.”

“So what if we were able to shoot a flare into Undertow’s mouth and somehow got it to explode? That definitely would get him off our tail.” Melody’s shoulders sagged a little as she realized something. “Well, it might work if we had Prompto’s gun.”

“Not to worry. We do. What we need is something to cause the explosion,” Ignis said.

Ignis’ words confused Melody, for she didn’t know how they could get Prompto’s gun if Prompto was swimming to catch up to them with Sora. He sounded confident though, so maybe they had another gun on hand.

“What if we used fire magic?” the other man suggested.

“That would be a brilliant idea Gladio, if only we had any filled magic flasks,” Ignis said.

“I was thinking about this earlier, but would it be crazy to think if maybe Sora could fill the flasks with his magic?”

Ignis blinked in stunned surprise as if he couldn’t believe that he hadn’t come up with that idea in the first place. “That may just work.”

Undertow bumped the tail of the ship with his head, causing the ship to rock violently. Luckily at this point, Prompto and Sora had caught up to Undertow and were close behind him.

“Prompto!” Ignis called out. “I need you to summon a magic flask. Sora, can you try and fill it with fire magic?”

“I can definitely try!” Sora replied enthusiastically.

Prompto summoned what Melody assumed was a magic flask and held it out to Sora. Sora touched the tip of the keyblade to the flask and bright red energy emitted from the tip of the blade. Melody realized that the energy had flames swirling around it and it passed from the tip of the blade to the flask.

Once the flask was glowing with fiery energy, Prompto made it dissipate. “It’s all yours guys!”

Melody turned to Ignis and Gladio, wondering how they were ever going to get the flask. Her question was answered when Ignis summoned Prompto’s gun in his hand. He summoned another object and loaded it into the gun. She assumed this was the flare. Gladio summoned the spherical magic flask.

“How do we get the thing to open its mouth?” Gladio asked.

His question didn’t need answering, for not a second later, Sora struck Undertows tail, causing the shark to let out a loud guttural sound from his mouth. Ignis didn’t hesitate and shot the flare into the shark’s mouth, followed by Gladio throwing the magic flask in as well. Instantly, Undertow shut his mouth at the feeling of the objects in his mouth and began to convulse.

“Duck!” Sora yelled.

Everyone on the ship ducked behind the wooden railing and heard as the explosion went off. Although she was covered by the railing of the ship, Melody could still feel the sudden heat that radiated from the blast.

Gladio was the first to stand up and look over the railing. Once he did, he let out a gasp. “Holy shit!”

“It didn’t work?” Melody asked, accepting the hand that Ignis held out to her.

“Oh, it worked alright. A little too well.”

Melody’s eyes widened as she saw what Gladio meant. The bottom of the tail of the ship was on fire and the fire was steadily spreading up. “Can’t Sora use magic on this?”

“If Sora were here. He and Prompto must’ve gotten affected by the explosion. Probably launched them further underwater or something,” the shield replied.

“So what do we do?”

“We jump,” Eric said from the helm. “Once we get close enough to Morgana, we’ll jump.”

Melody looked back at the growing fire with worry. She feared that the flames would engulf most of the ship before they got to Morgana. But she trusted her father, so if he said that they would jump off until they reached their destination, then that’s what they would do.

There was something very eerie about watching your father man a ship while flames crept up behind him. It wasn’t like her father didn’t know, but it made her anxious. She just wanted to grab her father away and jump off the ship now.

Once they were close enough to the giant glacier that Morgana was on top of, everyone abandoned ship. Melody, Ignis, and Gladio landed on an ice floe while Eric and Ariel dropped into the water and resurfaced. Eric swam to the ice floe and pulled himself onto it.

“You guys are okay!”

Melody jumped at the voice that came from behind her. She turned to find none other than Sora smiling at her from the water with Prompto by his side.

“We could say the same to you,” Gladio said. “The hell happened to you guys?”

“The explosion kinda threw us off course. It was a whole vertigo trip dude,” Prompto answered.

“Any sign of Donald, Goofy, or King Triton?” Sora asked.

“The last time I saw them, they stayed back to fight off some Heartless that came across our path,” Ariel explained. “They told me to go off without them.” Ariel bit her lip in worry. “I hope they’re okay.”

And then, a booming sinister voice echoed. “Oh, if only. Why don’t you take a closer look at my throne?”

Ariel squinted and gasped as she looked at the tall erupting ice throne. Melody didn’t understand what her mother had seen until she took a few steps closer to the edge of the ice floe. At the base of the ice was a figure trapped inside. It was a merman, her grandfather. A few feet above him was another figure, this one was a duck with octopus legs. And finally, a few feet above that one was a dog with the body of a sea turtle. They were all frozen within the tall icy throne.

“Oh, don’t worry Ariel. I’ve got something special planned for you, your family, and your little friends. But first, you shall all bow down to me, the new ruler of the seas!”

Morgana zapped the water with the power of the trident and instantly, Ariel, Prompto, and Sora seized up, then went down into a bow. Morgana aimed at Melody next and fired but hit Eric instead, who jumped in front of his daughter just in time. He fell into an inescapable bow as well.

Stunned by everything that was quickly happening, Melody didn’t move as another beam of magic from the trident came at her. This time, Gladio came up in front of her and blocked the magic with his shield.

“Melody, you need to get the trident from Morgana,” Gladio said as he grabbed the girl by the arm and ran.

“Why me?”

Ignis came up beside them. “Because we are not from this particular world, I believe that we may not be able to wield the trident if we managed to get ahold of it, but you can.”

“How would I even get up there? It’s all ice! Not to mention that I’d have to leap across like six feet of water since we can’t touch it anymore!”

Ignis summoned a pair of daggers and handed them to the girl. “You’ll use these to climb. They’ll cut through the ice, trust me. As for how you’ll get across…”

“Just leave it to me,” Gladio said. “So, you ready? ‘Cause I’m about to throw you.”

Melody’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?”

No sooner had she said that did Gladio grab and fling her across the water to the base of the icy pillar-shaped throne. How Melody hadn’t noticed that they had been running to the other edge of the ice floe that entire time they were talking, she did not know. What she did know is that she had to be prepared to grab hold of the ice.

So Melody held out the daggers in front of her and closed her eyes. When she felt herself stop moving through the air, she peeked to see that the daggers had cut through the ice and saved her from falling into the sea. She looked back to see Gladio and Ignis dodging Morgana’s attacks, providing a distraction.

Seeing these men that didn’t even know her risk their lives for her sake, filled Melody with newfound determination and confidence. She began using the daggers to climb up the pillar. She figured that the daggers had some sort of magic to them because every time she stuck them into the ice, they sliced through as if it were snow rather than solid ice she was climbing.

Upon reaching the top edge of the pillar, Melody peeked over it. Morgana’s back was to her, for she was still busy with Gladio and Ignis. The raven-haired girl pulled herself up and eyed the trident. She began to feel extremely nervous for what she was about to do.

Before she could second-guess herself, Melody ran and leaped forward, reaching out for the trident. The good news was that she was able to knock the trident out of Morgana’s hands. The bad news was that she wasn’t able to get a good grip on the trident, so it slipped past her fingers and fell into the ocean along with her.

Melody hit the water and was completely disoriented. She didn’t know which way was up or down, left or right. She couldn’t tell where the surface of the water was. All she knew was that she needed to get the trident before Morgana did.

* * *

Prompto could move. He didn’t know how or why, but he could move and he wasn’t going to question it.

He got up from his bow to see Melody falling into the sea. The blonde acted quickly and dove underwater to grab the girl. When he pulled her up to the surface, Melody tried to dive back in.

“Whoah, easy there Melody,” Prompto said.

“The trident! It’s underwater and I have to get it before Morgana!” she explained in a panic.

“Stay here. I’ll bring it back, I promise.”

And with that, Prompto dove underwater once more and began searching around frantically for the trident. He swam deeper down and even shot a couple of flares to light up his surroundings for a few seconds until they went out. Fortunately, by his fourth flare, Prompto saw it lying among a garden of underwater vegetation. He wrapped his hands around the handle of the trident and was startled when it glowed a bright white color.

“Huh. Guess anyone can use it,” he said to himself as he began to swim back up.

What confused Prompto more was that the trident was glowing white and not the usual golden yellow he had seen when King Triton had used it. Maybe it reacted differently to different people wielding it.

When he broke through the surface of the water, he handed the trident to Melody. He couldn’t help but notice that it looked like the trident belonged in Melody’s hands. The way she held it with such confidence made it seem like she was born to do this.

Melody zapped the ice pillar, causing it to shatter and release King Triton, Donald, and Goofy. As a result, Morgana fell from the top of her throne. Melody closed one eye as she aimed and shot Morgana with the trident. The sea witch let out a guttural scream as she glowed white and shattered into pieces.

Prompto couldn’t help but notice that the trident was still glowing white in Melody’s hands. It wasn’t until her eyes glowed a bright white that it made sense to him now. After Demyx’s hint and the overall aura that Melody carried around with her, it all made complete sense now.

Melody was their sixth Princess of Heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, so now we got six princesses. Refresher: Lunafreya, Kairi, Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and Melody. Wonder who the seventh one could be? What do you guys think and what world(s) do you think the gang will come across next?
> 
> Hopefully it won't be too long until I update this fic again. It certainly will take a bit of time though because I was originally supposed to update my MHA fic but gave this one priority because of the anniversary, so I'll have to work on that one first. But hey, all good things come to those that wait.
> 
> Stay safe and stay sane! <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	17. Say Something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!
> 
> Starting off the year by posting a lengthy chapter so I hope it adds something good to your day. I apologize for not posting sooner, but I had been a bit mentally taxed since my dad got the virus a little over a week ago. I didn't start writing this chapter until I knew he was finally recovering and I was in a better state of mind.
> 
> Let's all focus on turning this new year around. Let us all be kinder, understanding, and caring human-beings. The world needs that more than ever.
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“Even if we’re apart, we’re not alone anymore.”_

\- Sora, Kingdom Hearts

“I’m supposed to go with you guys.”

It took a moment for Prompto to realize that Melody’s eyes had finally stopped glowing and that she was now talking to him. He had been so busy processing that Melody was their sixth Princess of Heart. She was so young, not even a teenager yet, and she was already being pulled into something dangerous and bigger than herself. It wasn’t fair, but then when was anything ever fair in life?

“I- I mean nothing is _supposed_ to happen. More like, it would be more beneficial to your safety and the fate of the worlds if you came with us but-”

“No,” the girl interrupted. “This place, this world isn’t where I’m supposed to be right now. My whole life, I never felt like I belonged. When I became a mermaid, I thought my place was in the ocean, but it still didn’t feel right. Now I know why. I was made for this purpose, to protect the worlds. It’s my duty to fulfill my role. That’s where I’m meant to be right now.”

Prompto blinked at the raven. He was very surprised at her maturity and sense of duty. She was only 12 years old, and yet she was willing to put everyone and everything before her first. It was commendable.

“Maybe we should discuss this with everyone else first. I’m not the one here making the decisions after all,” Prompto said with a chuckle.

Prompto saw how those words caused the girl to tense up. She was probably thinking the same thing he was, how her parents were going to react to this discovery. He couldn’t help but remember how worried and devasted King Regis and Queen Aulea had been over the news that Noctis had been kidnapped. If Ariel and Eric allowed Melody to go with them, they would probably feel similarly over not being able to protect their daughter themselves.

“Melody!” Eric slid across the ice and wrapped his daughter up in his arms. “Thank goodness you’re safe. I was so worried we had lost you.”

Melody didn’t hesitate in hugging her father back. There was relief yet pain in her eyes and Prompto couldn’t help but sympathize with her.

Prompto turned as he heard splashing behind him. It was coming from none other than Ariel who was swimming to the edge of the ice. She pulled herself onto it and made her way across the ice. The blonde wished he could help her get to her daughter faster, but he too had a tail. Which reminded him…

“Sora, you alright there buddy?” Prompto asked as he swam to the teen who was currently rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yeah, just… bowing in the water kinda strains the muscles, you know?” Sora replied with a small grin. “So, Melody is a Princess of Heart. Should’ve seen that one coming.”

“Yeah. I have a feeling that the talk with Ariel and Eric isn’t gonna be something so simple though. She’s just a kid Sora. How can we tell them that in order to protect her, we have to take her away from them?”

Sora looked down at the dark blue water. “I… I don’t know.”

They were startled by a sudden bright light that enveloped the sky. The two sighed in relief as they saw that it was just the sun breaking through the dark stormy clouds that once covered the sky. They looked at King Triton to see that it was he who had restored everything back to its original state with his trident. He had even restored Ariel’s legs and she was now properly hugging her daughter along with Eric.

“Maybe we should get our legs back too,” Prompto suggested.

“That’d be a good idea. Can’t have a proper serious conversation with half of us in the water. Right?” Sora tried to jest. He gestured for Donald and Goofy to follow as they made their way to the ice and pulled themselves up. Then, Sora and Donald used their magic to restore their legs.

“I’m gonna miss my tail,” Prompto said as he wiggled his legs to get feeling back into them.

“I’m sure gonna miss having a mobile home,” Goofy said with a laugh.

Sora gave a smile that didn’t completely reach his eyes. “Guys, how are we gonna tell Ariel and Eric?”

Donald and Goofy frowned and looked at each other.

“So, she is a Princess of Heart,” Donald said.

“Gawrsh, I thought I was just seeing things after getting out of the ice.” Goofy scratched his head in thought. “Which one of us is the most mature to handle this situation?”

“Ignis. Definitely Ignis,” Sora said. “And maybe Gladio too. He seems very authoritative.”

“Course I am,” Gladio said as he quite literally stepped into their conversation along with Ignis. “What are we talking about fellas?”

“How we’re gonna break the heartbreaking news to Ariel and Eric that in order to protect Melody we have to take her away from this world,” the teen replied.

“Ah yes. She is the sixth Princess. It’s a shame that she has such a heavy burden on her shoulders at such a young age,” Ignis said.

Prompto recognized the voice that Ignis spoke in. He recognized the face he made while saying it too. It was the same tone and expression he had had when they believed Noctis was going to die by fulfilling the prophecy. It was strange but in a way, Melody was being placed in a slightly similar situation that Noctis had been in.

But he also remembered that Melody had taken the newfound knowledge about who she was in stride. She accepted it without hesitation and was more than ready to do whatever was possible to protect her world and the other worlds from falling into ruin. She knew that her power, while great and beautiful, could be dangerous if used in the wrong way. Prompto had a feeling that maybe they wouldn’t need to be the ones doing the talking this time.

“Guys, I think that maybe Melody might be able to handle this one,” the freckled blonde said. “She’s accepting her role as a Princess of Heart rather well.”

“I’m gonna have to agree with Prom on this one. The kid’s tough, not to mention stubborn. I think she’d be the best one to talk to her parents,” Gladio said.

Ignis hummed in thought. “It doesn’t mean we should leave all the talking to her.”

“Of course not,” Donald said. “We’d be right next to her to help explain.”

“Now the question is, when should we do it?” Ignis asked.

Sora looked over at Melody who was standing near Triton who was in the water. The trident was in her hands and she had a big smile on her face as she aimed at the wall surrounding the castle in the near distance. Triton had a proud look on his face, as did Ariel and Eric.

“Give them a few minutes.”

A few minutes turned into hours as a celebration was held in the kingdom, for land and sea were connected together again. And of course, the only way to celebrate was for everyone to splash around, merpeople and humans.

Well, almost everyone.

Prompto had been tempted to go back in the water and maybe even ask Sora for a tail again, but he had noticed right away that Gladio and Ignis had decided to stay near the shore, the water barely even reaching them. Anything regarding his friends always won over, so he made his way to them and sat down on the sand next to Gladio.

The blonde didn’t say anything at first, and neither did the shield or the advisor. Prompto looked out to see everyone laughing in the water. Sora had joined in on the fun but didn’t transform into a merman. Merboy? Merteen? He caught the brunette sharing a knowing glance with Melody at times and their smiles would waver.

Prompto sighed and leaned back on his hands as he felt the warm rays of the sun hit his face. The sky was so blue and beautiful. It almost made him forget that it had been dark and gloomy a few moments ago. It almost made him forget that the worlds were in danger.

He wondered how the sky looked wherever Noctis was. Was it different from this one, or did all worlds have the same sky? He wasn’t sure how all this stuff worked still. It was very confusing. Perhaps Sora knew the answer to his question.

“You guys think each world has a different sky?” Prompto suddenly asked, breaking the calm silence.

“Hmm, now that is a good question isn’t it?” Ignis said.

“Like, when you go into a world, do you travel into some sort of other dimension where everything is different? Or is every world in one big sky?”

“Well, what would you like to think?”

“It’d be nice if it was just one sky. The worlds would have something in common, you know? Something to tie them together.” Prompto sighed. “In the end, I like to believe it’s just one sky ‘cause then I know that Noct is looking at it with us.”

Ignis smiled. “That is a comforting thought.”

Although Prompto was glad that he wasn’t the only one who thought that, he noticed that the shield next to him was being rather quiet. He sneaked a glance at Gladio to see that he was still looking out toward the sea.

“Got something on your mind big guy?” Prompto asked as he nudged the other.

Prompto noticed how Gladio’s brows furrowed just the slightest bit, and the blonde briefly wondered if he had said something wrong. However, he was proven wrong when the shield finally spoke.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry you guys.”

Prompto and Ignis turned their heads simultaneously toward Gladio.

“I beg your pardon?” Ignis said in a rather confused tone.

“Ever since Noct was taken, I can’t help but blame myself, you know? I’m his shield. I’m supposed to protect him, and I didn’t even go into the cave with him.”

“Gladio, whether it was you, or even Prompto that had gone into the cave with Noct instead of me is completely irrelevant. You know that they would have taken him one way or another.”

“That’s the stupid thing Iggy. I know that, but there’s still that part of me that feels guilty. I know I shouldn’t because regardless of what any of us could have done differently, they still would have gotten Noct.”

“In that case, I’m sorry too,” Prompto said as the other two now looked at him in surprise. “I’m part of his retinue and even if I wasn’t, it’s still my duty to protect Noct, but not because he’s the prince, but because he’s my best friend and the one I love with all my heart. It’s not stupid that you feel that way Gladio, ‘cause I feel that way too at times.”

“And I must apologize as well,” Ignis said. “I was with Noctis after all and he was still taken under my care. You must understand though, that even if it weren’t Noctis and it were either one of you, I still would feel guilty for failing you as a friend, as a brother.”

“Same here fellas,” Gladio said as he placed a hand on Ignis’ and Prompto’s shoulder.

“Here too,” Prompto said, then snickered. “When did we get so sappy?”

“Please, we’ve always been saps,” Gladio said with a roll of his eyes.

“So, we all feel guilty over Noct’s disappearance even though it wasn’t any of our faults and there was nothing we could do about it… we’re so dramatic,” the freckled blonde joked.

“Not dramatic,” Ignis said. “Just human.”

Once the celebration began to calm down, the royal family bid farewell to the merpeople and went inside the castle along with Sora and the gang. They were all seated in the common room, warming up by the fireplace since most of them had been splashing around.

“We can’t thank you enough for everything that you’ve done,” Eric said.

“We’re just glad everyone’s safe. Plus, it seems like Melody saved the day if you ask me,” Sora said.

Melody, becoming bashful, waved her hands. “But you guys helped too! So really, thank you so much.”

“They’re right. You did save us Melody. You saved the whole kingdom. We’re so proud of you,” Ariel said.

Melody bit her lip in worry. “Yeah but-”

“And from now on, I’m going to be completely honest with you. You’ve shown that you’re not a little kid anymore.”

“The thing is that-”

“You found your place with the land and sea, even though I tried to keep you from one, and for that I’m so sorry Melody.”

“But Mom-”

“I will never try to keep you from becoming who you want to be.”

Melody blinked up at her mother at that statement. “Do you really mean that?”

Ariel smiled and nodded. “I do.”

“We just want what’s best for you Melody, and if we sometimes need to let you figure things out on you own, or even take a path that’s completely different from everyone else’s, then we’ll support you the very best we can,” Eric said.

“I hope you will,” the girl said, eyes downcast.

Ariel tilted her head and gave her daughter a concerned look. “Sweetie, what’s wrong?”

Melody sat up straight and faced her parents, a wave of confidence washing over her. “I’m still finding myself, but I do know my purpose. I know where I’m supposed to be, and it’s not here.”

“What are you saying?”

“Mom, Dad, I’m a Princess of Heart.”

Eric didn’t seem to understand, but Ariel’s face told a completely different story.

“Oh,” was all the redhead could say.

Eric looked between his wife and daughter, obviously very confused. “Can someone explain what’s happening here?”

“Daddy told me about the Princesses of Heart,” Ariel said in a quieter tone. “It was after Sora, Donald, and Goofy had left our world when they came here the first time. He told me because he had feared that I might have been one. He was relieved when I wasn’t.” Ariel played with the skirt of her dress, wrinkling the fabric. “There are seven Princesses of Heart at a time and each of them is born with a heart of pure light. They’re powerful and are meant to keep the light alive, but they also attract darkness that wants to swallow up their light.”

Eric’s eyes widened in realization, but he still asked, “So what does this mean for Melody?”

Sora decided that now was the right time for him to butt into the conversation. “Right now, all the worlds are in danger. There are some very dark and powerful people causing trouble in different worlds, including yours. We think that they’re looking for the Princesses of Heart. In order to protect the Princesses and make sure that their power doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, we’re taking them somewhere secret, somewhere safe.”

“And that means taking Melody there.”

Sora slowly nodded, a small frown on his face. “I don’t like it anymore than you do, but if Melody stays here, I can’t promise she or this world will be safe.”

“But we just got her back, and now we’re supposed to just let her go?” Eric sounded frustrated.

“Away from here. Away from this world,” Ariel said glumly.

Melody stood up and held a hand up to her heart. “You said you would support me with whatever path I chose. Well this is it. I’m supposed to protect the light, and in order to do that, I need to go with them. I can’t just stay here and risk this world and its people, my people to suffer just because I didn’t want to leave.” She took a step back in Sora’s direction, never breaking eye contact with her parents. “This is what my heart is telling me to do.”

A few tears spilled down Ariel’s cheeks and she looked at Sora. “How sure are you that she’s a Princess of Heart?”

However, it was Prompto that answered. “Her eyes glowed white and with the other Princesses of Heart that we’ve gathered so far, they’ve all experienced the same thing.”

“So, you want us to just allow you to take Melody away for who knows how long?” Eric asked.

“The decision isn’t up to us, it’s-”

“It’s up to Melody.”

Everyone was surprised by Ariel’s statement. She was looking down at the floor, her hands clasped in her lap.

“You don’t know this Melody but growing up as a mermaid was not all happy-go-lucky for me. I wanted to be part of something beyond my understanding. I didn’t feel like my place was in the water. I felt it was up here, on land. And when I met your father, that feeling only got stronger. I couldn’t ignore it or push it away. To do that felt like I was pushing a part of myself out of me.” She looked at her daughter and wiped her tear streaks. “My point is, I’m here now on land with your father. I followed my own path, the path I felt was right and it led me to the most precious thing in my life, which is you. To stop you from following your heart, even though I had followed mine, would be selfish and hypocritical of me.”

Eric leaned over and placed a hand over Ariel’s. “But Ariel-”

“Eric, you know just as well as I do that if an army of those creatures came to the kingdom, we wouldn’t be a match. We can’t stand in Melody’s way of becoming who she was meant to be. We’ve already prevented her from that her whole life, don’t you think? And plus,” she looked over to the others. “I trust them. If anyone can protect Melody, it’s them.”

“Are you sure?”

Without hesitation, Ariel smiled and nodded. “Yes. Doesn’t mean I won’t worry still, but we can’t keep her to ourselves forever.”

“And is this what you really want?” Eric asked Melody.

“Yes. It’s what I have to do. I know that,” the girl answered.

Eric sighed and walked up to his daughter. “Then I guess the only thing left is to say goodbye.” He picked up his daughter and hugged her. “I will miss you so much.”

Melody hugged her father back fiercely, a steady stream of tears sliding down her cheeks. “I’m going to miss you too Dad.”

Ariel got up and hugged her daughter as well. “We’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready to come home.”

“I know,” Melody said in a watery voice. “I love you both. I love you so much.”

After a few more moments of relishing in the embrace of her parents, Melody pulled away and gave them one last smile. Her parents looked at her with pride as she waved at them and began to exit the room with the others. As Melody began to leave the room, she heard her parents say one final thing to her.

“Go and save the worlds.”

* * *

“Wrong room you doofus!”

“Ow! You don’t have to hit me for it.”

“I’ll do as I please. I’m the princess here!”

Lunafreya looked up from her book to see Roxas walking in carrying Kairi on his back. Upon seeing that the blonde princess was in the room, the teens stopped and stared at her.

“Uh, hey Luna,” Roxas greeted.

“Hi Luna,” Kairi said more cheerfully.

“Hello,” Luna said, a smile coming to her face as she saw the two. “May I ask what you are up to?”

“This disappointment here was supposed to take me to the kitchen and make me lunch,” Kairi answered as she swatted at Roxas’ hair.

“Well _sorry_ for not being used to this tower’s weird magic,” Roxas grumbled.

Lunafreya giggled. She understood Roxas’ frustration. After all, she had gone through it as well. The tower had only one room, yet many different ones. Before someone walked through the door to the room, they had to think of where they wanted to go within the tower. Once they opened the door, that room would appear. It was tricky at first for her since it required the person’s mind to be completely focused on the thought of that specific room. Luckily, she got the hang of it after a few tries.

“And why is Roxas carrying you?”

“Why don’t you tell her Roxas?” Kairi suggested smugly.

“Why the hell would I do that?”

“Cause if you don’t I’ll tell her and Riku why you’re doing this. And you know Riku would never let you live it down.”

Roxas rolled his eyes but explained to the blonde. “Kairi finally won a battle against me and I promised that if she could, I would do whatever she wanted for a whole day.”

“And so you’re her personal slave?” Lunafreya asked.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Oh please, you’re proud of me and you know it,” Kairi said.

Roxas sighed but couldn’t help the small smile that appeared on his face. “Yeah, I am.”

“Such honesty,” Lunafreya said.

“Now if only he could be that honest about his feelings with-”

“Kairi I swear to whatever entity there is out there-”

“Okay, okay. Geez, no need to be such a grump about it.”

Lunafreya paged her book and closed it, setting it on the small table next to her. “I sense that there is a special someone then?”

“Wha- no! Why would you say that?!” Roxas exclaimed.

“Well, your face is rather flushed, you seem flustered, and you’re speaking a few octaves higher than usual. Not to mention that your hold on Kairi has tightened.”

As soon as she pointed it out, Roxas loosened his grip and threw his head back in exasperation, his head gently bumping against Kairi’s as a result. “Kairi why?”

“Hey, if you won’t listen to me, maybe you’ll listen to Luna. She’s wise, right Luna?”

Lunafreya giggled. “I’d like to think I have some sort of wisdom to bestow upon the youth of today. What is it that troubles you, Roxas?”

“It’s not that simple. It’s way too complicated,” Roxas began.

“It’s only complicated ‘cause you’re making it more complicated,” Kairi pointed out.

“I will drop you.”

Kairi locked her legs around the blonde teen, making her look like a koala on his back. “Do it Blondie, I dare you. Let’s see how well it serves you.”

“As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, it’s complicated. My situation involves two other people that I don’t want to lose, that I can’t lose. They’re too important to me. It’s better if I just keep these feelings to myself.”

The oracle knew she wasn’t going to get any more details out of Roxas. If he wasn’t saying any specifics, she wouldn’t push him for more. She didn’t want him to feel pressure, although she sincerely doubted that Roxas was one to give into peer pressure.

“Do they care for you just as much as you care for them? Platonically that is?” the blonde princess asked.

“Yeah, well I’d like to think so at least.”

Kairi shook her head. “They do. More than you think.”

The way Kairi said that had Lunafreya wondering if there was more behind her words. Regardless, it wasn’t her place to pry any further into the situation. She only wanted to provide some advice that could hopefully help the young blonde.

“Roxas, if these people care about you just as much, then you will not lose them if you are honest about your feelings. I sincerely doubt that they would want to lose you too. Have more faith in them and yourself,” Lunafreya said.

A contemplative expression came over Roxas. It made him look like he was having a mental battle with himself. She couldn’t blame him. Just because she was giving him advice, probably advice that Kairi or another friend had already given him, didn’t mean he was going to take it.

“It’s just that-”

The blonde teen was interrupted as the door swung open.

“Hey guys I just got a-”

Lunafreya stifled a laugh as she saw Riku’s eyes widen in surprise. He had looked up from his phone while walking in and was now looking at Roxas and Kairi with confusion.

“Umm, what did I just walk into?”

“Hello to you too Riku,” Lunafreya said in an amused tone.

Riku blinked. “Hi. But seriously, what’s happening?”

Kairi dropped down from Roxas’ back, causing the other to stumble as her weight was suddenly taken off him. “I tried scaring Roxas by getting the jump on him but failed. Then I got comfy.”

Riku looked down at the redhead and tilted his head, as if he was trying to read her mind. “Okay…” He looked down to his phone and scrolled. “Anyway, I was just coming here to tell you guys that Sora and the others are on their way. They’ve got another Princess of Heart and apparently some important info to tell us.”

The bright smile that appeared on Kairi’s face did not go unnoticed by anyone in the room. She seemed to light up with excitement. “When are they gonna get here?”

“They warped here so I’d say… now?”

Kairi gasped and slapped the silvernette’s arm. “Riku you jerk! You could’ve said that right when you walked in.”

“When I walked in I saw you clinging onto Goldilocks there.”

“Hey! I’m right here!” Roxas said.

“Yeah, I see that. Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

Before Roxas could get in another word, Lunafreya decided to take pity on poor Kairi who seemed rather anxious to leave and greet Sora. “Kairi, why don’t we go down and meet the others? Not only would I like to meet this new Princess, but I would also love to say hello to my friends.”

“Yeah, let’s,” the girl replied.

As Lunafreya and Kairi began to walk out, the oracle gave Roxas one last glance. She gave him a soft reassuring smile and closed the door. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots in Roxas’ situation, especially when Riku had told her about his own dilemma. She only hoped that whatever happened, they would continue to remain good friends.

“Ugh, boys are so difficult I swear,” Kairi groaned as they continued down the ridiculously long spiral of stairs.

“If they would talk I’m sure they could resolve a lot of misunderstandings.”

“So, you know?”

“I figured Riku was one of the people Roxas was talking about. I do not know about this third person though.”

“How’d you figure that? Did Riku tell you about…”

“Yes. He seemed rather troubled over his feelings.”

Kairi sighed. “This is such a complicated love triangle. I love both my friends, I really do but I also want the best for both of them. I want Roxas to admit his feelings, but I also want Riku to do the same but…”

“In the end, one of these three would end up losing?”

“Not really losing. Just… heartbroken maybe. Either way, if they were just honest with their emotions, they would have a lot of weight taken off their shoulders.”

“It is rather funny how most of people’s problems could be solved with honesty, yet honesty is something we fear.”

Kairi giggled. “Yep. What’s funnier is that we left those two together and they’re probably still not gonna talk about it.”

“It is like you said, boys are rather difficult.”

* * *

“So why were you really Kairi’s horse?” Riku asked once the door had closed.

Roxas huffed. Curse Riku and his ability to see past lies, or rather Kairi’s lies. Then again, Kairi wasn’t really a good liar to begin with.

“I promised her that if she could beat me in battle that I would do whatever she wanted.”

“Wait, and she did?”

Roxas nodded but with a small smile on his face. “She did.”

Riku let out a laugh. It wasn’t one of humor, but happiness. “Damn. That means that she’ll probably be able to beat me.”

“Oh, so you’re admitting that I’m the better fighter here?” Roxas said rather smugly.

“Now I didn’t say that.”

“But you were implying it.”

“Oh please. Just ‘cause you are the only person that has beat me in a fight does not mean that I was suggesting you are better at fighting than me. Nope. Not at all.”

The blonde rolled his eyes at Riku’s blatant sarcasm. “Right.” Before he knew it, his mouth had decided to speak without his permission. “Hey Riku, we’re friends, right?”

The silvernette scoffed in disbelief. “Wow. I’m offended that you even had to ask that question.”

“No, I didn’t mean it like that. More like, we’re good friends, right?”

“I think so at least. If everyone keeps calling us work husbands, I’m assuming we are.”

Roxas chuckled at that. “I think so too.”

It was quiet for a short moment as the two left the room and began their descent down the stairs. Roxas knew that Riku wouldn’t let it go for long though.

“So why the sudden need for reassurance that we’re good friends?”

Roxas shrugged. “Wanted to make sure I wasn’t the only one who thought so.”

Riku hummed in response.

Roxas wasn’t ready to have the talk yet, but he was glad to know that Riku did care for him just as much as he did for the silvernette. He had been surprised when Riku outright admitted it and didn’t beat around the bush as he usually did with other touchy-feely conversations he’d have.

As they continued down the stairs, the blonde couldn’t help but smile to himself. There had been a time when he never thought he would be friends with the silvernette. Hell, there had even been a time where he thought he hated him. At first, Roxas had thought that he couldn’t completely hate Riku due to the part of Sora that cared for him. Even though he had his own heart, Sora’s imprint wasn’t lost. But after seeing Riku in a nearly daemon-like state back on Eos a year ago, Roxas couldn’t help but feel concern and worry. And when Riku had finally come back to his usual self, the blonde felt some sort of relief.

Roxas had been extremely confused over the contrasting emotions he was feeling. He had been extremely mad at Riku before, but now he realized that that anger was a bit more toned down. It was like he was slowly letting go of it.

When Riku had apologized and asked for his forgiveness, his heart felt less heavy. He felt a sense of peace and some excitement at the prospect of being friends with the other boy. It was then that Roxas realized the feelings he was experiencing were his alone. He hadn’t been able to completely hate Riku because he had realized that Riku did what he did because he was doing what he thought was right. He had done it to save Sora, his best friend. Roxas had thought that if he had been in Riku’s position, he probably would have done the same thing. He was able to be such good friends with Riku because he was able to empathize with him. He was able to relate to him.

Lately though, something in Riku had changed. What made Roxas realize this change was that day in the kitchen in the castle at Radiant Garden. Riku had been getting extremely close to him and was boxing him in. He had felt nervous but wanted to see what Riku was going to do. He wanted to see what the other was feeling at the moment. At first, Roxas thought that Riku was trying to intimidate him, but then another theory came to mind, one that he pushed away with heated cheeks. He pushed it away because it couldn’t be true. Roxas knew where Riku’s heart was set, well more like who it was set on, and that’s where his predicament lay.

Kairi had told him the same thing that Lunafreya had, but she had also told Roxas that Naminé felt the same way for him and that it was very obvious. It didn’t matter though, because he wasn’t worried about whether she returned his feelings or not. No, he was worried about Riku. He couldn’t lay his heart bare to Naminé. He couldn’t do that to Riku.

After all, from what he could see, Riku was in love with her.

When they finally got to the bottom of the steps (seriously why were there so many steps for one room in a magical tower) they pushed the door open to see Kairi and Lunafreya greeting Sora and the others who were stepping down from the Gummi Ship.

Roxas almost rolled his eyes when Kairi hugged Sora last as usual. He had to admit though, it was rather sweet. Even Lunafreya seemed happier at seeing everyone again. It wasn’t that she was sad or anything here at the tower, but Roxas could tell that she missed home. Luckily, the next best thing to home for her was Prompto, Ignis, and Gladio.

Roxas noticed the raven-haired girl standing near Goofy and Donald. She looked shy and a bit uncomfortable as she saw how familiar everyone was with each other. He could only assume that this was their sixth Princess of Heart.

Roxas walked up to her, Riku right behind him and stuck out his hand. “Hi there. I’m Roxas and this blockhead is Riku.”

Melody smiled and let out a tiny laugh at his quip. He mentally patted himself on the back at getting her to not feel so awkward anymore.

“Ignore him. He’s just trying to look like the better guy here,” Riku said.

“I’m Melody,” the girl said.

Lunafreya suddenly walked up to them and introduced herself to Melody. At hearing that Lunafreya was one of the seven Princesses, the girl’s eyes widened, and she stumbled over her words, trying to greet her formally.

“There is no need for that,” Lunafreya said. “We are all friends here. No formalities are required.”

“Sorry. Royal etiquette and whatnot.”

“Royal? So, you’re an actual royal princess too?” Roxas asked.

“Yep. I’m the daughter to King Eric and Queen Ariel.”

“What the hell?! How fast does time pass there?! Ariel was 16 like not too long ago.”

“Do you know my mother?”

“Let’s just say that Roxas here was once Sora in a manner of speaking,” Riku said.

Melody looked to Lunafreya for answers, but the oracle only shrugged. “It is a complicated story, one that I am sure you will understand once you meet Master Yen Sid and are caught up with everything.”

It wasn’t long until Kairi came up to them and apologized for not greeting Melody right away. Roxas had teased her for being too caught up in greeting Sora which earned him an elbow to the stomach. Kairi’s jovial and cheerful nature seemed to be the thing that Melody needed to finally break out of her shell.

“You’re gonna love meeting the others. They’re so much fun! Rapunzel loves painting and is always getting us in on the fun. We even managed to have a paint fight before and we were all covered in paint. Elsa and Anna host snowball fights which is something that brings the competitiveness inside all of us, especially Lea.”

“Snow? I don’t see any snow.”

“You will soon.” Kairi giggled. “Oh, and Lea is awesome. He always manages to turn anything we do into a funfest. It’s like our own little family here. Well, Elsa and Anna are sisters and Rapunzel is their cousin so they’re actual family, but regardless we’re all still a little family here.”

“That actually sounds very nice.”

This couldn’t have been easy for Melody. She had to leave her family behind and come here to stay with people she didn’t know. Roxas commended the girl for her bravery and her willingness to give this place and everyone here a chance.

“You guys must be tired from your trip. Luckily, Roxas here, ever the sweet angel, decided he would make lunch for everyone.”

A baffled Roxas turned to Kairi. “I did?”

“You’re her bitch, remember?” Riku said with a smirk.

Roxas jabbed Riku in the chest. “For the day!”

“Yeah, that’s what I meant,” the silvernette said in a tone that suggested otherwise. “Anyway, lucky for you, I’ve decided to aid you in this culinary endeavor.”

“That sounds like a misfortune instead.”

“Did I say lucky for you? I meant lucky for everyone else.”

“What the- Why? Are you saying my cooking is bad?”

“Roxas, the first time you tried cooking an egg, it exploded all over the kitchen.”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that you had to crack the egg out of its shell?!”

Melody looked to Lunafreya and Kairi for answers again. “He’s a teenager who just learned to cook an egg?”

Kairi smiled and shook her head. “It’s complicated. Roxas is 16 but technically he’s only lived for about two years, give or take.”

Melody nodded although she was still clearly confused.

Lunafreya chuckled. “Like I said, once you’re caught up with everything, things will make more sense.” She put a hand on Melody’s back, guiding her to the tower. “Now, let’s go inside. The boys are going to make lunch after all.”

* * *

“So how was your trip?” Lunafreya asked.

“Yeah, how was your trip Sora? Bet it was fun wasn’t it? Going to an awesome world where you could be a merman. Bet it was _really_ fun,” Roxas sneered from his spot at the stove.

“Ignore him Sora,” Riku said as he chopped vegetables. “He’s just being a salty bitch.”

“I’ll show you a salty bitch.” Roxas proceeded to fling salt into Riku’s hair to which the silvernette did the same with the blonde.

Ignis stepped between the two. “Now, now, there will be no fighting in the kitchen.”

Sora laughed at the kitchen banter that was happening just a few feet in front of his seat at the table. Riku, Roxas, and Ignis were preparing lunch while everyone else sat at the table and chatted. Melody was getting along with everyone so far which was great. He had initially been worried that the girl would feel like she didn’t fit in all over again. Now seeing her laugh with the others, Sora realized his worries were for nothing.

Everyone seemed to quieten down at Lunafreya’s question. Sora couldn’t blame them. After all, if he were stuck here for an indefinite amount of time, he would want to hear how life was outside of this world too.

As Sora recounted their adventures in Atlantica, Prompto, Gladio, and Ignis would chime in to provide their own input. Others would pop in the occasional question and provide commentary. Sora had purposely left out their encounter with Demyx, for he wanted to save that until the end since he was sure that Riku and Roxas would have questions for him.

And just as Sora had finished recounting their time in Atlantica, Riku said, “You said you had something important to tell us.”

“Yeah. So, me and Prompto ran into Demyx.”

Riku froze midway as he was placing a plate of food down in front of Anna. Anna took the plate instead and set it down in front of her. “I think you broke him Sora.”

Riku shook himself out of his surprised state. “Sorry. It’s just- Demyx? As in the organization member that you said annoyed the hell out of you?”

“That’s the one,” the brunette said.

“What the hell was he doing in Atlantica? Better question, how’d he get to Atlantica if he’s a completed person now?”

Sora scratched his head and let out a chuckle. “He had yellow eyes so…”

“Hold up. You’re trying to tell me that Demyx of all people is one of Xehanort’s vessels? That can’t be right,” Roxas said in disbelief. “Out of all the Organization members, he was the most lackluster.”

“Lackluster?” Riku questioned.

“As in he was bad at being bad! Why would Xehanort bring him back? I highly doubt it’s to be one of his chosen 13.”

“Actually, his eyes aren’t completely yellow,” Prompto spoke up.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that I got to see his face a little up close. There was a hint of green in his eyes. They weren’t all yellow.”

Riku hummed in thought. “So if he’s not one of the vessels, why bring him back?”

Sora shrugged. “We don’t know that, but he did tell us something they’re looking for. Oh, and he also let us know that Noctis and Ienzo are okay since he’s the one looking after them.”

Riku and Roxas simply blinked back at Sora.

“So you’re saying that Demyx is helping us?” Riku questioned.

The brunette nodded. “Yep.” Sora took the plate that Ignis handed him with thanks. “So, he said that the Nobodies in Radiant Garden are looking for mako. I’m not sure what that is but if we would be able to give it to him, he’d be able to make sure that not too many Nobodies remained in Radiant Garden.”

Riku and Roxas shared a look, then turned back to Sora. Roxas sheepishly scratched his blonde locks. “About that…”

“On our last visit to Radiant Garden, we kinda figured a lot of stuff out and sort of forgot to tell you about it,” Riku explained.

“…what?” Sora asked in a rather deadpan voice.

And so, the two teens explained how they figured out that Ienzo was probably taken to create a memory serum for the new Organization and how one of the ingredients needed was most likely mako. They explained what mako was and how it was running through Cloud’s veins, causing Nobodies to attack him for it.

“How could you possibly forget to tell me all that extremely important information?” Sora asked.

Riku shrugged. “I don’t know. We got a lot on our minds.”

Sora wanted to roll his eyes at Riku’s carefree attitude but decided better of it. Instead, he sighed and tapped his fingers on the table. “So, should we call Radiant Crew and let them know about Demyx?”

Ignis tutted. “You can do that after you have eaten.”

Prompto suddenly let out a loud laugh, drawing everyone’s attention.

“You okay there?” Lea asked, not sure if he should be laughing along or be concerned.

Prompto waved his hand. “It’s just nice to know that some things never change.”

“I don’t get it.”

Ignis shook his head as he took a seat with his own plate in hand. “Oh, please Prompto. Nothing will stop me from ensuring that you all get a good meal in you.”

“I still don’t get it.”

After a delicious hearty meal and some nice casual conversation amongst the 15 of them at the table, Lunafreya and Kairi took Melody to see Master Yen Sid. Anna had been the first one to insist that she wash the dishes as proper thanks for the meal, which only led to Rapunzel, Elsa, and Lea joining in to help clean up.

Sora and the others went into the lounge room to make their call to Radiant Garden. It wasn’t long until Leon’s face popped up on Sora’s screen.

“Hey Leon,” he greeted. “We got some news to share.”

“So do we. We were able to look at the video footage from the computer and found something… odd,” the man said.

“Really?”

He nodded. “From the looks of it, Ienzo willingly went with whoever took him. It seemed like he knew this person. They were wearing a hooded black coat.”

A small smile spread on Sora’s face. “Well, we happened to meet the person back in Atlantica. He’s a member from the Organization, Demyx, but he’s on our side.”

Leon raised a quizzical brow. “Really?”

“He’s the one who kidnapped Noct too. He’s looking after both of them though and he says they’re fine. He’s keeping them safe. Thing is, it seems like Ienzo needs mako for the memory serum, if that is what he was taken for.”

“So, our theory was correct then. Did Demyx tell you anything else?”

“If we gave him the mako, less Nobodies would be in Radiant Garden. He’d make sure of it.”

“I see. Thing is, it’s not my decision to make. I’d have to consult with Cloud first.”

“About what?” another voice said.

Leon turned around and then looked back at Sora. “Speak of the devil and he shall come.” He angled the phone so it was showing him and Cloud. “We’ve got an inside man, an Organization member known as Demyx. He’s the one that took Ienzo and Noctis.”

“Alright. What does that have to do with me?” Cloud asked getting straight to the point.

“We were wondering if you could be ever so kind and perhaps give it to the Nobodies?” Sora asked.

Cloud blinked back at the teen. “What? Why?”

“Basically, the sooner the Nobodies have the mako, the less Nobodies there will be in Radiant Garden,” Leon said.

“Wouldn’t the mako be advancing whatever plans the Organization has?”

Sora was taken aback by the question. “Well, technically yes but-”

“Actually, I don’t think it will,” Roxas cut in, sitting next to Sora so he could look at Leon and Cloud. “Back in the Organization, Zexion was one of the most loyal members that there was, but he was also known for his scheming. On the other hand, Ienzo is loyal to his passions and his friends. From what I’ve seen, Ienzo wouldn’t do anything that could put his friends in danger.”

“So you’re saying that he has an alternative plan,” Cloud said.

“He has to. He wouldn’t give the Organization what they want. I think he’d try to use the serum to his advantage.”

“Hmm. Don’t know how he’d do it, but if you really believe that, then that’s what we’ll go with,” Leon said as Cloud nodded in agreement.

“Alright, I’ll do it. I’ll give them some of my mako,” Cloud said.

“So, what’s next?” Leon asked.

Riku squished next to Sora, earning him a glare from the brunette. “Well, we still have one more Princess to look for so there’s that. Roxas and I are gonna continue with Kairi’s training, unless you guys need any help over there.”

Leon shook his head. “Things will be much calmer over here once we give the Nobodies the mako, so we’re still good here. The king has started looking into finding a way to get into the realm of darkness to find one of the lost guardians of light.”

“You mean Aqua?” Riku asked with wide eyes.

“Yes. He said once he found a way, he’d tell you guys. Until then, keep doing what you’re doing I guess.”

“Right.”

“We’ll leave you to it then. Stay safe and good luck.”

And with that, the call ended. Sora watched as Riku paced around the room, a troubled look settling on his face.

“Riku…”

“Sora, please. I know what you’re gonna say and I’m honestly not up to hear it. Sorry.”

Sora gave an understanding nod, not affected by Riku’s rejection. He’d been through this enough times to know when to just lay back and let his best friend just go through the different feelings coursing through him. He needed time to sort his thoughts first, figure out what it is that he wanted to do, wanted to say. He would talk when he was ready.

Surprisingly, he only had to wait a couple minutes for the silvernette to be ready. Riku had stopped his pacing and sat down on a nearby chair. “Something is finally being done about Aqua, but it doesn’t make me feel better. It makes me feel worse. It’s because of her that me and King Mickey were able to leave the realm of darkness after Ansem’s defeat. She sacrificed herself for us, and we just left her there.” He tapped his foot incessantly against the carpeted floor. “I wish we could have saved her earlier, but instead we’re just starting to _look into_ it.” Riku clenched his fists. “You know when Mickey had barely told me about Aqua, I felt so much anger for him keeping that from me for so long. I can’t help but feel angry even though I don’t want to.”

Sora sat down next to him and placed a hand on his knee. “Hey, it’s okay to be angry Riku, but don’t let it take over either.”

“That’s the thing Sora. I’m mostly angry at myself, and I know there’s nothing I could have done about it at the time since I didn’t even know she was there in the realm of darkness with us, but that feeling still doesn’t stop gnawing at me, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it.” He gave Riku what he hoped was a comforting smile.

“I think it’s just one of those things that I’ll get over once we save her.”

“I may not know the full context of the situation,” Ignis began. “But I do know that you three,” he gestured to Sora, Riku, and Roxas, “were able to change a whole prophecy back on Eos. If you could manage that, there is not a doubt in my mind that you will be able to save your friend.”

Gladio let out a small chuckle. “He’s right. You guys defied the will of gods. Anything after that will probably be a piece of cake.”

A small laugh escaped Riku’s lips. “I keep forgetting how much we changed your world’s fate.” He looked to Sora and ruffled his hair, nearly laughing again when the boy swatted at his hand. “There’s no use worrying over something we don’t know the outcome of yet I suppose. We can only do what we can right now.”

“Riku doesn’t need us. He’s his own therapist,” Roxas joked.

“More like, I have to talk to people to sort out my thoughts to realize the pretty obvious solution to my problems,” Riku explained.

“Hey, sometimes the obvious solutions aren’t that obvious,” Prompto said.

“I’m sorry Prompto, but you’re a ray of sunshine that solves everyone’s problems just by being in the room, kinda like Sora.”

“It’s the freckles isn’t it? I’m gonna have to start covering them up so I can relate to your more angsty teenage nature.”

They all shared a laugh before Sora stood up and smiled down at Riku and Roxas. “This has been fun and all, but we really should get back to searching for the last Princess.”

“You’re leaving so soon?” a soft voice asked.

Sora turned to find Lunafreya at the door. “Um, yeah. The sooner we find the last Princess the sooner we can help in getting Aqua back.”

Lunafreya shook her head in disapproval. “You shall do no such thing. You all look exhausted and need to rest.”

“We are not exhausted!” Sora tried to argue but yawned shortly thereafter, going against his point.

“Maybe you should listen to her dude. Can’t win against Luna anyway,” Prompto said.

Sora looked to Riku and Roxas for help. “But-”

“I’m with Luna on this one Sora. You can’t go looking for the Princess if you’re about to drop dead out of fatigue,” Riku said.

“But… but-”

Roxas suddenly gasped and his eyes lit up. “Oh my gosh is this a sleepover?”

Everyone turned to him, staring at him in surprise.

Riku of course was the one that had to take pleasure in teasing Roxas for this new bit of information. “Oh my gosh. Is the famous broody and easily to anger Roxas actually excited over something like a sleepover?”

Roxas blinked and his face flushed with color. “What? No, I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“No, the fuck I’m not!”

Prompto chuckled and patted Roxas on the head. “Sorry dude, but you just told everyone you were.”

“What the- no I didn’t! That was probably Sora’s influence or something!”

Riku smirked. “Can’t use that excuse anymore since you’re your own person now.”

“You know what?” Roxas stood up and crossed his arms. “Yeah, I’m excited for a sleepover because it’s an actual teenage thing I get to experience.” He began to walk past Lunafreya. “Come on Luna, let’s go and make friendship bracelets or something.”

Everyone laughed at Roxas’ embarrassed outburst but couldn’t help following him. They all seemed to need something as fun and casual as a sleepover.

Sora groaned as Roxas won another round of karaoke. He had gone up against Goofy, Donald, Gladio, Lea, and now him. He had to admit though, Roxas could sing.

“Fuck you Roxas! Fuck you and your Jesse McCartney voice!”

He wasn’t going to admit it out loud though.

“What the- Who the hell is Jesse McCartney?” Roxas asked.

“Don’t mind him,” Donald said. “Sora likes making ironic references that none of us will ever understand because if we did we would probably self-combust or something.”

“Oh yeah, well why don’t one of the Princesses go up against you?” Sora asked Roxas.

“Sora, we already said we weren’t going to participate in karaoke battles because we all have natural singing talent,” Rapunzel said as she took a sip of hot chocolate. She was sporting some comfy pink pajamas with purple flowers.

Sora looked to Lunafreya and Kairi for confirmation to which they nodded. Sora gaped, specifically at Kairi. “I’ve never heard you sing.”

“No, but Riku has and he told me I sang beautifully, and Riku wouldn’t dare lie to me because I’m his favorite person in the entire world,” Kairi said in a completely overexaggerated tone. She was wearing light pink pajamas, the shirt bearing the picture of a heart. Her pants that reached just below her knees had many little hearts all over them.

Sora looked to Lunafreya who only smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“When I was healing people of the Starscourge, I would sing softly to sooth them. I was told many times that my voice was angelic.” Lunafreya was the only one who was wearing a long white silk night gown in the group.

Sora turned back to look for his next victim to throw upon Roxas. A sinister smirk crept up his face as his eyes landed on none other than…

“Riku…”

“No.”

“But-”

“I said no, Sora. I don’t sing.”

“Oh, come on. I bet you can. You can’t be the total heartthrob unless you have a secret hidden talent.”

“Then I guess I’m not the total heartthrob,” Riku shrugged.

Sora wasn’t discouraged though. He knew exactly how to get Riku to participate and that was through Roxas. But first, he would have to make Roxas feel bad for him, because deep down he knew that the blonde could not stand to see Sora upset.

And so, Sora sighed and looked down at the floor, putting on his best frown. From his peripheral, he saw the blonde teen give off a small frown of his own, and Sora had to stop himself from nearly smiling in victory.

It wasn’t long until Roxas began to tease Riku. “What’s the matter Riku? Too scared to go up against me? Too scared you’re gonna lose at something else to me?”

The silvernette narrowed his eyes at Roxas. “I know what you’re doing and it’s not gonna work.”

“The only thing I’m doing is stating the truth.”

Sora looked up just in time to see Riku’s eye twitch in agitation. The blonde was getting to him whether he would admit it or not.

After getting no verbal response from Riku, Roxas shrugged. “Oh well, wouldn’t have been much of a challenge anyway.”

Riku got up and grabbed one of the microphones. “You know what, fuck you Roxas. Fuck you and your manipulation.”

Roxas only smirked and winked at Sora who gave him a thumbs up. Riku chose the song that they would both sing, grumbling to himself the whole time. Sora almost felt bad for the guy. Almost.

When Riku began singing the first lines of the song, small gasps were heard all around and the brunette couldn’t help smiling smugly to himself, for he had been right. Riku had a slightly deeper contrasting voice that actually complimented Roxas’ when they sang the chorus together.

Although Riku had been adamant to the idea of singing at first, Sora was glad to see that the silvernette was rather enjoying himself. He laughed when the two would make ridiculous gestures and dramatics in accordance with the song, and he soon realized that it was going to be very difficult to determine a winner this round.

Once the song was over, Sora jumped from his seat on the floor as Kairi let out a squeal. She ran up to the two and flung her arms over their shoulders. “I’m friends with two heartthrobs. I feel so honored.”

Elsa chuckled from her spot. “So Roxas is a heartthrob now?”

Kairi nodded. “As a Princess of Heart, I declare these two boys official heartthrobs!”

Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and Gladio clapped and cheered at the declaration. Lea put a hand to his heart in mock hurt. “Wow Kairi. Wow.”

Sora nudged the redhead. “Join the club.”

Lea scoffed and smiled. “It’s different for you Sora. You’re _her_ heartthrob.”

Sora sputtered as he tried to say anything in response to that, but had his attention diverted as Roxas spoke up. “So, who won?”

Prompto groaned. “Really man? You guys sang so well together that I forgot we were supposed to be judging you guys individually.”

“Same here,” Anna said. “I don’t know if I could choose between the two of you.”

“So, is this a tie then?” Kairi asked everyone.

There were nods from all around, even Sora who had wanted to beat Roxas had to admit that both teens were talented.

“Well that settles that! Now for fun! Anyone can go up!” Kairi exclaimed as she dragged the two teens with her back to their seats.

Lunafreya stood up, looking almost shy and gave a small smile. “I would like to try but I have no one to sing with. Would anyone like to join me?”

She looked around but it was obvious that her gaze kept returning to Prompto. It made sense. Out of everyone here, Prompto was the person that Lunafreya was closest to and therefore more comfortable to be around. Prompto seemed to get the hint and stood up, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.

“I’m apologizing in advance for shattering all of your ear drums,” the freckled blonde said to which everyone laughed.

Lunafreya put a hand on Prompto’s arm and smiled. “Have more confidence in yourself Prompto.”

“There’s only three things I’m confident in Luna and that’s my aim, video games, and being Noctis’ boyfriend.”

“Don’t forget being part of the sunshine boy club,” Riku reminded.

Prompto rolled his eyes. “Four things then.”

“Well, you’re about to add a fifth item,” Lunafreya said as she handed Prompto a microphone and chose a random song.

The song was a slow one with a beautiful melody but a melancholic feel to it. Lunafreya and Prompto took turns singing the verses and came together to sing the chorus. At some point in the song, the two just looked at each other and sang. Sora couldn’t help but notice that it seemed like they were communicating in a different manner that was beyond words. It was through the eyes they were communicating all their emotions, but not from the song. No, it was from something else, and Sora would waver a guess that it was from their shared worry over Noctis.

It wasn’t difficult to see that Lunafreya missed Noctis just as much as Prompto. From what Sora knew, Lunafreya somewhat grew up with Noctis, even if it was through a notebook. She loved the prince as if he was her own family. Lunafreya hadn’t been able to properly express this feeling to anyone ever since coming to the tower, so to finally have Prompto here, it was probably just what she needed to let out those troubling emotions.

As they continued to sing, a chord was struck within Sora. He looked around to see that everyone else in the room was in a similar state, completely entranced with the singing. He supposed it was a song that each of them could somehow relate to, and it was beautiful, nonetheless.

Sora wasn’t surprised at all by Lunafreya’s beautiful voice. She just looked like someone that was capable of soothing your soul with the melodic sounds of her voice. What really surprised him was Prompto’s voice. Prompto’s voice, like Lunafreya’s, had a soothing tone to it but was also capable of reaching higher pitches. The brunette couldn’t believe that Prompto had never sung before.

Once the song finished, there was no applause or cheers. There was only silence. Lunafreya was smiling but Prompto on the other hand looked like he wanted to be anywhere but in the room. He was fidgeting his fingers and nervously scanning the faces of everyone in the room.

Ignis was the first to break the silence by clearing his throat. “Prompto, how come you’ve never told us that you had a talent for singing?”

This was obviously not the reaction that the freckled blonde was expecting. “I’m sorry, what?”

Gladio stood up and clapped Prompto on the back. “It was like listening to two angels sing. Honestly, you probably could have beaten Roxas and Riku.”

“I’m gonna have to agree with Gladio there,” Roxas said.

Lunafreya gave an almost smug smirk to Prompto. “I told you. You just need more confidence in yourself.”

A light blush covered Prompto’s cheeks as he let out a bashful chuckle.

* * *

Looking up at a mystical night sky was entrancing. During the day it was a beautiful golden yellow with swirls of greens, blues, pinks, and purples. At night, darkness replaced the golden yellow and covered it in stars, but the other splashes of color remained. It was something Prompto had never seen before, and yet he still longed to see Eos’ night sky.

He missed the nights they would camp and sit under the stars around the campfire. He missed how Gladio talked about the different constellations and their stories and how Noctis would roll his eyes in boredom. He missed drinking coffee with Ignis as they looked up at the sky, realizing just how small they were in this world. He missed the nights when Noctis would sneak out of the tent, sit outside at the edge of the haven and just look up. Prompto, of course would notice and sit outside with him, watching how his eyes shined even under the night sky.

A bittersweet smile appeared on Prompto’s face as he looked up at the shining stars. “Do you see them too Noct? Do you see the same stars that I do?”

He heard a ruffle of fabric behind him. He didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. She just gave off that aura that announced her presence to the whole room. She stood next to him, leaning against the railing of the balcony.

No words were spoken for a short while. They just looked up at the sky. He wondered if Lunafreya was trying to pinpoint the different constellations too, or maybe she was reminiscing as well.

After a while, he looked at her. She looked ethereal as always, but there was a sadness to her eyes. There was a slight exhaustion in her features. Instead of pointing any of this out, he asked, “Aren’t you cold?”

She looked at him and shook her head. “When you’ve had Shiva as one of your guardians, you get used to colder weather.”

Prompto hummed. “I guess that makes sense.” It was now that he was realizing just how long her hair was getting. It had been some time since he saw her with her hair down. Her light blonde locks now almost reached the end of her waist. But again, he didn’t point this out either. Instead he said, “Couldn’t sleep?”

“I never can here, but it seems like neither could you.”

So that explained her tired features. He wondered if it had to do with being away from home, her family, Nyx, Noctis, or all of the above. Or maybe she was truly worried about the fate of the worlds.

“I needed some fresh air.” He paused, then, “I was thinking about home, about Noct.”

“I think about him too, all the time.” She placed a hand on one of Prompto’s that was on the railing. “My love for Noctis may be different from yours, but in the end we both care very deeply for him. I have always wanted the best for Noctis. I wanted him to find family, friends, to find love. When I saw that he finally got all of that, I was beyond happy. More than that, I was happy that a great part of that happiness was found with you.” She smiled at him. “You may not think it Prompto, but you played a big role in Noctis’ life and in my life all those years ago when you found Pryna. It was the beginning of a fated meeting. I can’t think of anyone better suited to be by Noctis’ side.”

Prompto lightly chuckled. “I’m not that special Luna.”

“Anyone that brings love and joy to others is special. You don’t need to be a praised oracle princess or a heroic prince to be special. You can just be Prompto, a man who loves deeply and freely, who lets his passions drive him and his loyalties strengthen him.”

“You’re special too Luna. You know that, right?”

“If someone like you says so, then I must be,” she said with a tilt to her smile.

“You miss Nyx?”

“Everyday. That ache you feel in your chest when you think about Noctis, that is what I feel when I think about Nyx.”

Prompto turned to her and held her hands. “We’ll figure this out Luna. We’ll get rid of these Organization bastards soon and then we’ll be able to go home with everyone.”

Prompto didn’t know why, but the smile she gave him then didn’t quite reach her eyes. It was almost forced.

“Luna, what’s wrong?”

The oracle looked up at him with that soft smile and held his face in her hands. “Dear Prompto, there is still so much in store. I wish I could take on the pain you are feeling, the pain…” She paused, as if considering her words. Then, a tear slipped down her cheek, causing the freckled blonde’s eyes to glisten with a buildup of unshed tears.

“Luna?”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she closed the distance between them with an embrace. This was the final straw that caused Prompto’s tears to fall silently, for he knew hers were falling as well, even though he couldn’t see them anymore. She held him tightly, which was unusual. Lunafreya always had a gentle hold, not one that felt so desperate. He held her back of course. He always would. He ran a hand through her hair, hoping that it would sooth her even the slightest bit.

They stood there, holding each other, crying under the stars. They cried over Noctis, over missing home, missing family and friends, over the stress and worry of the worlds, over each other. Prompto suspected there was another reason that Lunafreya was shedding so many tears, but he knew that she wouldn’t tell him. She already had backtracked her words.

“He sees them too,” he heard Lunafreya suddenly say.

He pulled back slightly to look at her but still kept her in his arms. “What?”

“Noctis sees the same stars that you do, the same stars that everyone in every world sees. The stars that you have been seeing your entire life are actually worlds. Each star up there, shining brightly in the sky, is a world filled with people. Even Eos is up there somewhere.”

A tiny spark lit up in Prompto’s eyes. “So that means that all worlds do share the same sky.”

“That is what connects them.”

“So, you think Noct is somewhere up there?”

“If he is on another world, then yes.”

“Different worlds and different people, all connected by one sky. It’s beautiful.”

Lunafreya couldn’t help but agree. “It truly is.”

They stayed outside a little longer until the cold became too much to bear. They went inside and talked about nothing and everything until they couldn’t keep their eyes closed. Prompto fell asleep on the sofa, still holding onto Lunafreya.

It was the first time in a good while that they had a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I absolutely loved writing that last scene with Prompto and Luna. I think it was long overdue, but those two really needed to just kind of break together. I really wanted to show just how close their bond is now. For those who may misinterpret, it isn't romantic at all. It's more like a best friend/sibling type of relationship if that makes sense.
> 
> Karaoke between everyone was just a little fun thing I wanted to add. I didn't want the chapter to be too heavy. By the way, the song that Prompto and Luna were singing was "Say Something" by A Great Big World. Why? Because Prompto's and Luna's voice actors sang the song together. Y'all should listen to it on Robbie Daymond's YouTube channel. You will cry. I guarantee it. Also, there wasn't really a specific song that I imagined Roxas and Riku singing. I'll leave that up to you guys. When I was writing it, the song "I Love You Baby" by Frank Sinatra was playing and I had a brief glimpse of these two dorks being so dramatic with the song. I'd like to know what song you imagine Riku and Roxas singing together.
> 
> And of course, the love triangle. Well, sort of triangle but you get what I mean. So many miscommunications. So many, but then there wouldn't be plot and drama now would there? 
> 
> *cue evil laughter*
> 
> Stay safe lovelies! I wish you all a year filled with happiness, good health, and as much peace as possible! <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	18. Promises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it seems like 2021 is already off to a rather bleak start. I'm still trying to make the best of it though by writing more before school starts up. 
> 
> I really enjoyed writing this chapter. It's not as long as other chapters, but I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with all the good morsels I left in it. There's quite a few things to unpack.
> 
> Due to certain slight changes in story structure that I had to make because reasons that I'll probably get into much much later, y'all got this chapter packed with new tidbits.
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“One day the light- it will be ours, and it will bring us together. ‘Till then- I’ll be in your heart.”_

\- Naminé, Kingdom Hearts: Re: Chain of Memories

“Aww, well isn’t that just cute.”

“Lea shut up. You’re gonna wake them.”

“Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?”

“I haven’t seen Luna look this peaceful since I got to the tower. Let’s just let them sleep, okay?”

“Got a point there Roxie.”

“What the heck did you just call me?”

“A nickname, that’s what.”

“Oh gosh. I hope it’s one you won’t memorize,” Roxas said as he put a finger to his temple, mocking Lea. “Come on. Everyone else is probably downstairs getting breakfast ready.”

“Knowing Ignis, he’s already cooking up a meal big enough to feed an army.”

“All the more reason why we should head down.”

Roxas opened the door and the two stepped into an all-white room with white furniture. There were art supplies lined in shelves and easels near a giant window that showed the multi-colored sky. In the middle of the room was a desk with a blank sketchbook, pencils, color pencils, pastels, and ink pens. On the corner of the desk was a white vase with white forget-me-nots.

“How the hell is this still happening?” Roxas asked in frustration.

Lea only stepped further into the room, eyes taking in the space. A knowing smile spread on his face and he turned to face the blonde. “So, this is why you can’t get it right. You have a head full of Naminé.”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “I just happened to be thinking about her and this happened, okay.”

“Right, right. And I’m guessing all the other times you couldn’t get the room right, you were brought back to this one, right?”

“Lea, what point are you trying to get at?”

“The point that you’re completely head over heels for her but still refuse to say anything.”

“I told you why-”

“I know, I know. And we had a whole argument about it and decided to just leave it at that. I’m not gonna tell you what you should or shouldn’t do about it anymore. How is she by the way?”

Roxas walked to the desk and played with the petals of the forget-me-nots. They were soft and silky to the touch. “She’s doing good, well as good as she can be right now. Leon has been keeping tabs on her, making sure she’s eating, sleeping, and all that.”

“That’s nice of him.”

“Well, I kind of asked him to.”

“Of course you did. You been talking to Naminé since the last time you saw her?”

Roxas shrugged. “Here and there.”

Lea groaned, causing the teen to look up at him. “Roxas, don’t start with that crap.”

“What crap? What are you talking about?”

“You’re keeping your distance so it won’t hurt as much not being with her because you’re not planning on ever telling her about your feelings for her.”

Roxas opened his mouth to refute Lea’s claim but was quickly shut down by the redhead placing his hand over his mouth.

“I did the same thing Roxas. I did it when Isa became someone different in the Organization, I tried to do it when I realized I was starting to lose you and Xion, and I did it with…”

Roxas pulled Lea’s hand away and saw the slight sadness that appeared in the man’s green eyes. “With Larxene, right?”

A huff of laughter escaped Lea’s lips. “Yeah. And you know what I learned from all those experiences? Distance only makes those feelings stronger. It made me miss all of you more and I was only torturing myself. It’s better to just embrace those feelings and let yourself, well, feel. Give in to your heart’s desires. Give yourself a break. Have you ever even thought that maybe Naminé wants to do the same but can’t?”

“Not in that way she doesn’t,” the blonde said.

“That’s not the point here. She at least loves you as a friend, Roxas. And by pushing her away, you’re hurting her. She needs you just as much as you need her, regardless if she returns your feelings.”

Roxas was left frozen staring at Lea. He looked as if the redhead had given him shocking news. Well, maybe it was to the teen. Lea wouldn’t put it past Roxas to be completely surprised by this. He was still learning to differentiate emotions and put a name to them.

“I- I never thought of it that way before.”

“A relationship goes both ways Roxas. Even something as simple as a friendship has its complexities.”

“Look at you using big words.”

Lea nudged Roxas with his elbow. “Respect your elders.”

“Yes, old man.”

“I walked right into that one didn’t I?”

Roxas gave off a small smile and looked out the window. He never got tired of looking out at the different colors of the sky. The sky in this world always looked different. It was like a painting that was constantly getting new brushstrokes.

“What are you thinking Roxas?”

Roxas felt Lea walk up next to him. “I’m thinking about the sky.” He paused as a sudden thought came to him. “You think they would like the sunsets here?”

“Who?”

Roxas shrugged. “Xion, Isa, even Larxene. You think any of them would like it?”

Lea hummed in thought. He sounded rather thoughtful and not at all sad or melancholic like Roxas thought he would be when asked the question.

“I think that Xion would love any sunset you gave her. She was always one to enjoy the little moments, you know? Isa would probably be saying that my hair is just as red as some of the colors this world’s sunset gives off. And Larxene, well, I’d like to think she would give the sunset a chance.”

Roxas looked at Lea, a question on his lips. He didn’t need to ask it though, for the redhead answered him, as if reading his mind.

“I learned to just let all my feelings course through me time ago. I let myself miss them. I let myself think of them. That’s why I’m okay with talking about them.”

“You don’t talk much about Larxene.”

“You never really liked her to begin with. I didn’t wanna bore you or anything,” Lea said with a dismissive hand gesture.

Roxas sat down on the white floor and patted the empty space next to him. “Tell me about her then. Tell me about the Larxene you knew.”

Lea smiled and sat down next to the blonde and began telling him about the side of Larxene that Roxas had never seen. Roxas couldn’t help but notice how Lea’s eyes lit up when he spoke and how animated his expressions became the more he talked. The man’s smile grew and grew as he continued to talk about the electric blonde that made a place for herself in his heart.

When Lea had first told Roxas about Larxene, the teen almost couldn’t believe it. He never would have thought that the two would be anything more than just partners in crime, quite literally. But now that he was finally hearing about what Lea saw in Larxene, Roxas came to a conclusion.

Love was complex. He knew this already. It could be messy and come to you from the most unexpected sources. It could hurt you and knock you down. It could leave you breathless and make you feel like you’re on air. It could make you feel anxious, angry, or scared. Love was an emotion that made you feel every other type of emotion. But regardless of who you loved, regardless of how different each love could be, there was one thing that each love had in common. It was the fact that all love was just that, love – caring so deeply for someone that it deeply affected you and your heart.

In the end, all love is love.

* * *

Breakfast passed by way too fast for Sora’s liking.

Yes, he wanted to leave as soon as possible so they could find the final Princess of Heart, but he also was hoping to spend just a little bit more time at the tower with his friends. He had been especially hoping to spend more time with Kairi.

All good things had to come to an end though. Once breakfast wrapped up, he found himself outside saying goodbye to everyone. Now as he looked at Kairi’s smiling face, he didn’t know if he had the heart to leave her again.

“You better come back. Got it?” she threatened in a teasing manner.

“I’ll come back to you. I promise. Just like I always do,” he said with a smile of his own.

“I know you will,” she said with a light chuckle.

Kairi then did something he was not expecting. She pressed her lips to his cheek, leaving a small kiss, then pulled him in for a hug. “Don’t forget, wherever you go, I’m always with you.”

Once his brain caught up, he wrapped his arms around her, leaning down to rest his chin on her shoulder. “I could never forget, Kairi.”

When they parted, she gave him one last beautiful smile that made his heart stop. He knew that his face was probably red from being flustered, but he couldn’t care less. How could he care about anything else but Kairi at this moment?

He had to have been standing there just smiling back at her for some time because Gladio had begun pulling him to the Gummi Ship. “Come on lover boy,” the shield said with amusement. “We’ve got a princess to find.”

Sora could hear laughter coming from behind him, including Kairi’s. It was a sound that would continue to play on repeat in his mind. Even when he stepped into the ship, Donald snapped his fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

“Sora come on!” the mage said.

The teen blinked and shook himself out of his daze. “Right, sorry.” He pulled out his keyblade and concentrated. In no time at all, a portal opened up in front of the Gummi Ship and through it they went.

Sora sat down in one of the pilot seats and groaned. He stared up at the ceiling, splayed out in his seat. He heard Goofy say something about detecting a world a short distance away. He only gave a half-hearted thumbs up in acknowledgement.

And then Prompto’s face came into view, but he was too miserable to jump from the slight startle the blonde gave him. “What’s wrong buddy? I can feel that you feel a bit down in the dumps.”

Sora groaned. He completely forgot that he couldn’t hide any of his feelings from Prompto. The connection between the two’s hearts was a double-edged sword at times, but he still wouldn’t give it up.

“Kid just can’t stand being away from Kairi,” Gladio said as he suddenly appeared in view.

And then Ignis’ face came into view as well. “Don’t patronize him, Gladio.”

Sora sat up, causing everyone to back away to give him space. “Can we not do this?”

“Do what?” Prompto asked.

“This. Talking about Kairi. I’m really not up for it right now guys.”

“You never are, but you need to,” Donald said from his spot at the controls.

Sora let out another groan. “What do you want me to say? It’s completely obvious what I feel for her. What more is there to talk about?”

“How about how you are feeling right now?” Ignis inquired.

“Prompto could tell you that.”

“It’s better if you tell us buddy,” Prompto said.

Sora sighed and leaned his elbows on his knees. “I just- When I’m with her, I feel like I’m more than just myself. My heart feels so full when I’m around her, like it’s about to burst.” He put a hand to his chest. “Sometimes I wonder if she can hear it from how fast it beats around her. She always makes me feel so warm. So, when I have to leave her, it kills me. My heart drops and I just feel miserable. Not only ‘cause I can’t see her, but because I know how it makes her feel when I leave. She hurts just as much as I do.”

“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Gladio asked as he placed a hand on Sora’s shoulder.

“I didn’t want to sound petty, especially to Prompto. How could I complain about my feelings from missing Kairi when Prompto is probably feeling worse? How could I do that when I can still see Kairi, but you guys can’t see Noctis? It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Sora,” Ignis said rather firmly. “Do not invalidate your feelings. No one is to say who’s feelings are more important than anyone else’s.”

“Yeah kid. Don’t ever think you don’t matter just ‘cause someone else is going through something. We all matter, and we should all take care of each other,” Gladio said.

Prompto patted Sora’s head and gave him a soft smile. “Take it from guys that have been stuck together for a while and had to learn how to be emotionally vulnerable around each other. Can’t hide things forever. It’s better to just let it out around friends you trust.”

“We’re all in the same boat,” Gladio said.

“Ship,” Sora said.

“Huh?”

“We’re in a ship, not a boat.”

Gladio looked at Sora in slight disbelief for a second, but once he saw a small smirk creep up on the teen’s face, Gladio laughed and ruffled the boy’s hair. “You really are something else kid.”

Sora let out a contagious bubbly laugh. “And you guys are the best.”

Sora jumped off the ship and landed on a patch of green grass. A few yards to his right was the ocean, glimmering under the mid-afternoon sun. To his left was a forest filled with tall dark trees that seemed almost threatening yet mysterious and inviting. The air was crisp and cool. Sora couldn’t help but take in a deep breath, close his eyes, and bask in the warm sun that was hitting his face.

Sora loved the sun. Being an islander, he grew up with the sun. He was used to the sun’s rays being absorbed by his skin, giving him his light tan complexion that Kairi and Riku never got because they always used sunscreen. They’d always chastise him for not wearing any, saying that one day he would burn to a crisp and regret it, but he never did. His skin just seemed to like the heat of the sun.

The sun here was not harsh, but it was nice. The cool air was a nice contrast against his warm skin. He was so tempted to just lay back in the grass and soak up the sun.

But Goofy’s voice reminded him that he wasn’t alone and that they were on a mission.

“This place sure is nice,” Goofy said.

The teen opened his eyes and looked back to see everyone taking in the new world around them.

“Where do we even start to look?” Prompto asked in wonderment.

“Sora’s heart led us here. He should know,” Donald said.

The teen rolled his eyes. He knew Donald was teasing him. Once he got to a world, it was a lot of exploring and figuring things out themselves. The heart could only tell you so much.

But this time it was different. He realized with slight surprise that he did feel something, like a tiny pull. And this pull wanted him to venture into the forest.

“There,” he said as he pointed to said forest.

“You want to go in the creepy looking forest that is probably infested with who knows what?” Prompto asked skeptically.

Now it was Ignis’ turn to roll his eyes. “Oh please. The forest does not look as bad as you are making it out to be. We’ve ventured into far more intimidating and questionable places before.”

“Volcanoes, caves, mines, abandoned facilities…” Gladio counted off on his fingers.

“Okay, okay. I get it. Into the forest we go,” Prompto said rather unenthusiastically.

Sora couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Leave it to Prompto to always give you a sense of reality. It was funny and refreshing to know that even someone who fought off daemons and other foes didn’t necessarily favor dangerous or risky exploration all the time.

As they made their way through the vast forest, Sora realized just how much green there was. There were way more trees than the outskirts seemed to show, and there was so much green vegetation from bushes, leaves, and other plants. They’d come across the occasional forest critter running across their path and Prompto would beam and be quick to snap a photo or two. If Sora or any of them were being honest, it was a rather lovely trek through the woods.

That is until they came across a ring of standing stones.

Prompto, seeing an opportunity to capture the beauty of the rather mysterious stones, went ahead to take shots. Sora and the others followed, standing in the middle of the ring and taking in the fascinating nature.

As if they were waiting for them, a group of creatures appeared around them, creatures that Sora had never seen before.

They were dark blue in color and had red eyes. Their antennas almost looked like lightning bolts and their bodies seemed to twitch in quick controlled movements.

“Sora, what the hell are these things?” Gladio asked as he summoned his shield.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen them before. They can’t be good news though,” the teen replied as he readied his keyblade.

“Wak! Whatever they are, they’re no match for us!” Donald exclaimed as he casted a thunder spell that struck all the creatures around them.

The creatures made no noise, but they twitched more harshly with the electric shock coursing through them. It was obvious they were hurt, but still willing to fight. The creatures leapt at them, causing everyone to fend them off with their weapons.

“That usually is enough to take out Shadows,” Donald pointed out.

“Well, these aren’t Heartless,” Sora said with a grunt as he pushed back a creature with his keyblade. He then shot off a couple fire spells at it, causing it to disintegrate.

“Gawrsh, they’re a bit tougher than Heartless,” Goofy said as he smashed one up into the air and leapt up only to send it crashing back down to the ground to die.

“They’re a little tougher, I’ll give ‘em that, but they ain’t nothing we can’t handle,” Gladio said with a smirk as he blocked an attack with his shield and swiped at another creature with his broadsword.

When the creatures were vanquished and Sora thought they finally had a break, he turned around to be proven completely wrong.

What he saw made his eyes widen and he instantly dismissed his keyblade. He noticed from his peripheral that everyone else stowed their weapons as well. Even Gladio reluctantly had his weapons dematerialize with a growl.

Before them stood Prompto, pointing his gun at a hooded figure who was aiming a loaded bow at him. In other words, it was a standoff.

“Lower your weapon,” the hooded figure said in an accented voice.

“Not until you lower yours,” the blonde replied.

Sora had never seen or heard Prompto be this serious before. There was no nervousness, no hesitation in his voice or posture. He was completely calm and ready to take action, whatever that may be.

Sora wanted to say something to deflate the situation, and he had the sneaking suspicion that Ignis wanted to as well, but neither said a thing. They didn’t want to risk any one of them getting an arrow through their flesh.

“That’s an order,” the figure said as they pulled the arrow further back, readying to let go at any moment.

Sora’s heart jumped as he saw the small action. He wanted to so badly tell Prompto to put the gun down, but it seemed like the blonde felt Sora’s nervousness and fear, for a couple seconds later, he was lowering his gun onto the ground.

Prompto held his hands up. “We’re not the bad guys here.”

“You’re just the ones summoning them, aren’t ya?”

“What the- No! What are you talking about?”

“The strange monsters. People have spotted someone summoning them.”

“It’s not us! We just fought a group of those creepy things!”

It was with slight relief that Sora saw the grip on the arrow relax a bit.

“Why should I believe you?”

“If I or any of us were summoning those things, we probably would have unleashed them on you right now and ran.”

The figure took a moment to consider Prompto’s words, then lowered the bow and stowed the arrow in their quiver. “You make a fair point. Sorry for threatening you. I had to make sure you weren’t a danger to the kingdom.”

“Kingdom?” Sora asked. “Who are you?”

The figure stepped into the light and pulled their hood back to reveal a girl with bright curly fiery locks in a dark green dress.

“I am Merida, Princess of DunBroch.”

* * *

Riku grunted as Kairi dealt another blow with her keyblade. He almost rolled his eyes when he heard Roxas cheer for her.

Kairi was quicker, more precise, and definitely more focused on her opponent’s moves than she had been before. They had been battling for about an hour and Riku was starting to feel it. How Kairi still seemed like she had lost zero energy, he did not know. Then again, Roxas was similar in that manner, so maybe the blonde had taught her a trick or two in that aspect.

Riku was confident he could hold her off though. Her moves were fairly easy to predict and were repetitive. However, when he tried to catch her off guard, she was always ready to counterattack. She was definitely more alert than she used to be.

His arms stung as Kairi struck her keyblade against his particularly hard. He was about to push her back when she suddenly moved so quickly away from his line of sight that it almost looked like she disappeared. As he was about to turn around, he felt his legs slip out underneath him and he fell on his back, all the air escaping his lungs. He didn’t even have time to summon Way to Dawn again before Kairi had the tip of Destiny’s Embrace against his throat. He could vaguely hear gasps from the audience that Roxas and Lea had gathered up to watch the fight which consisted of the rest of the Princesses.

Kairi knelt down, the tip of her long ponytail falling over her shoulder and tickling his nose, causing it to scrunch up. She had a look of surprise and a small smirk on her face. “Looks like I win, Riku.”

Riku wasn’t a sore loser. He had grown out of that phase some time ago, so he wasn’t mad or upset that he had lost. Rather, he was proud of the girl before him who was holding her weapon against him. It was probably the only time he was happy to have a weapon pressed against his skin.

He couldn’t help but smile at her. “Looks like you did.” He caught her by surprise and pulled her down into a hug.

Kairi squeaked in surprise, her arms flailing as much as they could since they were pretty much constricted by the silvernette’s hold on her. “Riku!”

“Hey, just ‘cause you won and have shown once again that you’re more of a badass than all of us, doesn’t mean I can’t still hug you.”

Kairi gave up fighting and just lied there. It wasn’t until the sound of footsteps approaching could be heard that Riku looked up to see Roxas and Lea approaching.

“Well, well Riku. Looks like two people have beaten you now,” Lea said smugly.

“Yeah, and you’re still not one of them,” Riku retorted, letting go of Kairi and sitting up.

Roxas covered his mouth, failing at stifling his laughter. Lea only chuckled at the silvernette and shook his head. “That was a good one, I’ll give you that. But not as good as the beating that Kairi gave you.” The fiery redhead offered a hand to Kairi and helped her up. “So, how does it feel to have defeated a keyblade master?”

“Still trying to believe it,” Kairi said.

“Well start believing. You were amazing! I knew you could do it!” Roxas said. In his excitement, he hugged Kairi tightly, the girl laughing the whole time.

It wasn’t long until the other Princesses came up to Kairi and congratulated her. They began to whisk her away, Rapunzel saying something about baking a celebratory cake, leaving Riku, Roxas, and Lea.

“That was a reversal,” Riku said. “You taught her how to execute a perfect reversal.”

Roxas shrugged, a grin on his face. “Nobody can teach it better than a former Nobody.”

“Har-dee-har Roxie. You think you’re so funny,” Lea said with a roll of his eyes.

“No, _you_ think you’re always funny.”

Lea gasped. “And you don’t think so? I’m hurt Roxas. Hurt. First you run off with Riku as your new bestie and now you attack me so viciously with your words?”

“Oh please,” Riku said as he stood up. “If each of us were stuck with Roxas in a room for the whole day, you’d end up walking out with him intact. Me on the other hand, would probably have to drag him out in a body bag.”

“Ahh, so yours is a difficult type of marriage I see.”

“Yep. Pretty abusive if you ask me,” Roxas said.

“To who? You or Riku?”

The three broke out in good-natured laughter. Then, Riku placed a hand on Roxas’ shoulder and squeezed. “You did a good job with her.”

“So did you. Remember, she beat me first.”

Riku nodded and pulled his hand back. “I’m surprised she didn’t try to exploit my most obvious weakness.”

“You mean your left wrist? Nah. She wanted to beat you fairly, as if you were an opponent with no known weaknesses.”

“It was a good strategy. Beat me down until my defenses and reaction times were dulled due to fatigue kicking in. If she had tried to pull the reversal right in the beginning of the fight, I would have caught her. She waited until she was certain that I couldn’t move fast enough.”

“Courtesy of yours truly,” Roxas said with a flourish of a bow. “But all that focus to attention and composure she maintained, that was all you. I’m more of a hothead as we all know.”

Lea let out another mock gasp. “Roxas finally admits it.”

The blonde only shrugged. “I’m in a good mood.”

“Which is why we should go help with that celebratory cake!”

“You just want a piece of it.”

“All the more reason to head out.”

“Yeah yeah.”

“You two go on ahead. I’ll catch up in a minute. Just gonna do some cooldown stretches,” Riku said.

A sudden look of worry passed over Roxas’ features. “Are you hurt? Do you need a healing spell? A potion? Is your wrist acting up? Maybe it’s-”

“I’m fine Roxas. Really. Just gotta stretch out the muscles that Kairi beat down, that’s all,” Riku said, ruffling the blonde’s hair. Surprisingly, the blonde teen didn’t slap his hand away.

“Well, alright. If you’re sure. But you better make it in time to help with the baking.”

“Yeah. Who knows what’ll happen when Roxas tries to bake?” Lea said teasingly.

“Says the one who burns everything,” Roxas retorted.

And so, the two walked back to the tower, bickering the entire way and Riku couldn’t help but laugh. He began to stretch his arms when he realized that the sun was beginning to set, turning the sky more orange and red.

When he was just about to finish up, his body suddenly tensed up, as if expecting something. His senses were on high alert, as if they knew something was about to happen before Riku even knew it was going to.

And then he heard it.

_Riku._

The voice.

Riku faced the sunset, squinting at the bright rays that were being given off. He stepped closer to it.

_Help. Darkness._

“Help you how? Who are you? Where are you?”

For a beat, there was silence, then…

_Darkness._

“You’re in darkness? What do you mean?” Then it hit him. “Wait, do you mean the realm of darkness? Is that what you mean?”

There was no answer for a full minute.

“Please, answer me! Give me a clue! Anything!”

Riku stood staring at the sunset, waiting for an answer, waiting for a sign. If there was one thing that Riku was, it was patient. Even as he saw the sun lower further behind the horizon, he still waited.

And thank goodness good things came to those that waited.

_Darkness… Dawn… Twilight._

“Darkness, dawn, twilight? What does that mean?”

Riku somehow knew that there would be no more from the voice today. He didn’t feel that weird sense that washed over him anymore. The voice was gone.

Riku sighed and turned away from the sunset. He began to head back to the tower, certain that Roxas and Lea were going to chastise him for taking his sweet time.

“Yay for more cryptic messages.”

By the time Riku made it to the kitchen, the cake was already in the oven. Lea had dramatically told him how everyone else had slaved away without him but was quickly taken down by Anna claiming that Lea ruined the batter at least four times. Riku insisted he clean up and batted away offers to help.

As he washed the batter covered bowls, Riku couldn’t help but think over the three words that the voice had told him. He didn’t know what to make of them. They obviously meant something, but what?

And the voice itself. He knew that voice, but it sounded slightly different, just enough so that he couldn’t put a name to it. It was frustrating and he couldn’t help but feel that whatever the voice was trying to tell him was vital.

Apparently Riku had been thinking so much that he didn’t even realize that all the dishes were clean until he felt nothing else in the sink. He turned off the water, dried his hands, and turned around only to let out a yelp.

“Roxas, what the hell?! Were you just standing there the whole time?” the silvernette asked, a hand to his chest.

“You got scared by someone that just reaches your shoulders?” Roxas asked with a quizzical brow.

“I’ve learned the hard way that short people are very dangerous. Anyway, did you need something?”

“As a matter of fact, yes I do. What I need are answers. Why are you acting all quiet and weird again?”

Riku blinked at him. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Something’s bugging you. It’s obvious.”

“Obvious?”

Roxas shrugged. “Well, obvious to me at least. You sure you didn’t hurt yourself when fighting Kairi?”

Riku shook his head. “I’m not hurt. Trust me. I’m just… thinking.”

“About?”

“To be honest, I’m not sure. I haven’t really figured it out yet.”

Roxas narrowed his eyes and tip toed to meet Riku’s eyes, even though it only gave him an inch or two more of height. “You sure?”

“Positive.” Seeing as the blonde was still not satisfied with his answer, Riku said, “Once I figure it out, I’ll be sure that you’re the first to know about it. Promise.”

Roxas held out his pinky and Riku looked at it, then back up at Roxas.

“Are you serious?” he asked.

“Deadly,” Roxas said with all the conviction he could muster in his tone. “This is serious stuff Riku. You gotta seal these promises the right way.”

“And that’s with pinkies?”

“What, you rather we kiss to seal the deal?”

Riku couldn’t respond for he was too busy choking on his own saliva. He didn’t need to look in a mirror to know that his cheeks were flushed, for he felt the heat rise up to his face already.

“Exactly,” Roxas said. “Didn’t think so, which is why we seal it with the intertwining of pinkies.”

Once Riku was finally able to catch his breath, he looked back at Roxas, who was waiting patiently with his pinky extended toward him. Riku would be lying if he said it wasn’t the cutest thing he ever saw.

“Alright, fine. We’ll pinky promise since you’re six years old,” Riku said as he wrapped his pinky around the blonde’s.

“Good,” Roxas said with a rather smug smirk. “I’ll be waiting for whatever it is you need to figure out.”

“So nosy,” Riku teased as he began to head to the door.

Roxas followed. “I’m just doing my part as the concerned friend.”

“Sure you are.”

“Well fuck you too.”

Riku could only laugh as they went to meet up with everyone else in the lounge.

_Darkness. Dawn. Twilight._

Those three words kept repeating in Riku’s head as he lied in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

“Dawn huh.”

He reached out with his hand and summoned his keyblade. He stared at it for a moment, feeling as if he was on the brink of understanding something.

“Darkness and twilight. Hmm.”

And then, it suddenly hit him. He knew now what the voice was telling him. It wasn’t a riddle. It wasn’t a cryptic message. It was the answer they had been looking for.

Riku jumped out of bed so quickly that he almost brought the blanket down with him. He reached for the doorknob and turned it, finding it to be locked. He sighed and unlocked it with his keyblade, opening the door to reveal Roxas’ room.

The blonde was sleeping under the covers of his own bed peacefully. It almost pained Riku to wake him up. Almost. This was far too important, and he did make a promise after all.

The silvernette walked up to Roxas’ bedside and shook his shoulder gently. “Roxas. Rox wake up.”

Roxas grumbled and slapped Riku’s hand away. He pulled the covers over his head. “What do you want Riku?” And then, the blonde was suddenly sitting up, covers thrown off of his face. “Riku?! How the hell did you get in my room?!”

“Keyblade. Listen-”

“You just broke into my room while I was sleeping! That’s beyond nerve-wracking.”

“I have to tell you something.”

Roxas rolled his eyes. “Can’t it wait ‘till morning?”

“No, ‘cause I promised I would tell you as soon as I figured it out.”

This got Roxas’ attention instantly. “Well?”

Riku took a breath in and braced himself for what he was sure was going to be an interesting reaction from Roxas once he told him everything.

“I know how to get to the realm of darkness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't realize that there wasn't really any Lea and Roxas interactions in this fic yet and I had to slap myself for it. Lea is pretty fun to write and I was glad I was able to add a little more insight into what's going on with him. Can't forget about my favorite fiery boy XD
> 
> Kairi is a badass and I will fight anyone that says otherwise. I hated how they depicted her as a damsel in distress in KH3 when she was working toward becoming someone who could fight for herself. So obviously, I had to show off just how much of a badass Kairi can be.
> 
> DunBroch is a world I knew I wanted to incorporate into this fic since the beginning but I wasn't sure how to go about it. Now, thanks to some inspiration from other forms of media, I know exactly how to execute this world's story while coinciding with the overall plot.
> 
> And that voice. What is it, the third or fourth time Riku's heard it? I wonder who it could be...
> 
> Hope your day goes well and that you all stay sane throughout this craziness. Am I talking about the pandemic, this fic, or both? The choice is yoursXD
> 
> Until next time! <3
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)


	19. Connected Fates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys will be fairly pleased and surprised to see the interactions between some of these characters. It was a lengthy chapter to write and I don't know how I managed to write this while school is still in session. Guess it was just luck!
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> [Discord](https://discord.gg/yYtSVVf)   
>  [Tumblr](https://l-curasha-l.tumblr.com/)

_“Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger.”_

\- Ansem (Seeker of Darkness), Kingdom Hearts

“I’m sorry. I think I’m still half-asleep ‘cause I thought I just heard you say that you found a way to get into the realm of darkness,” Roxas said as he rubbed his eyes and slapped his cheeks.

“That’s exactly what I said,” Riku said.

Roxas looked at the older teen with a rather flabbergasted expression. He was trying to process the information that was just delivered to him. Riku could practically see the gears turning in his head.

“How?” was the only thing that Roxas could say.

Riku sat on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his silver hair. “It’s a bit of a story but you have to promise me that you won’t get mad.”

“Mad? I’m gonna get mad?”

“Possibly, which is why you have to promise that you won’t. Gotta protect myself from a possible feral attack.”

Roxas gave him a threatening glare but Riku only raised his brows.

“Fine,” the blonde grumbled. “I promise. Now tell me how you figured it out.”

The silvernette played with the blankets as he tried to figure out the best way to explain the weird events that had led up to him finding out how to get to the realm of darkness. He wondered how he could say it without angering Roxas, because he knew that the other teen would still feel upset that he didn’t tell him earlier, regardless if he promised or not.

He sighed and decided that the bare truth was the best route to go with. No sugar coating. “A voice told me.”

Roxas tilted his head in question. “A voice?”

Riku nodded. “I’ve heard it like three times now. The first time was in Arendelle, at Elsa’s ice castle. I woke up to it calling my name. The second time was after a training session with Kairi and the final time was, well yesterday after the battle.” He paused for a moment and straightened out the wrinkles he had caused in the blankets. “Every time I heard the voice, it was during a sunset. It almost seemed like the voice was coming from the sunset.”

“Riku-”

“And they keep asking for help. I think they’re trapped in the realm of darkness and I might be the only one that can help them and-”

“Hey,” Roxas said as he gripped Riku’s shoulders. “Calm down Riku. It’s alright. Just, just take it slow, okay? What did the voice tell you about getting into the realm of darkness?”

Riku let out a shallow breath, barely realizing that he had not been breathing too well until Roxas touched him. “They said three words. Darkness, dawn, and twilight. I didn’t get it until I looked at my keyblade. I chose the road to dawn, so naturally my keyblade would resemble that.” Riku looked up at Roxas who was wearing a curious expression. “You were born between light and darkness and still choose to reside there, in twilight, which is why you have a keyblade of light and a keyblade of darkness. As for the darkness aspect, I thought that the voice was talking about another keyblade of darkness, but then I realized that it was more specific than that. The voice was talking about the keyblade from the realm of darkness.”

“You mean the one that Mickey used to lock the door.”

“Exactly. In order to open a gateway to the realm of darkness, the three of us need to combine our power to summon it.”

“And the voice, do you know who it is?”

Riku shook his head. “I feel like I do but I can’t put a name to them. This voice sounds different enough for me to not recognize it, but I feel like I do know them.”

“Could it be Aqua?”

“Maybe. I wouldn’t know for sure because I’ve never heard her speak before or met her for that matter. Regardless of who’s reaching out to me, they’ve given us a way to save Aqua.”

“I guess that means we gotta tell Yen Sid and leave as soon as we can.”

“In the morning.”

“It technically is morning already.”

Riku rolled his eyes. “Then later in the morning. I don’t want to be stuck with a grumpy whiny Roxas in the Gummi Ship.”

“Oh, and you think I like being stuck with you?” Roxas asked teasingly.

Riku smiled and stood up. “Lea was right. This is an abusive marriage.”

Just as he was about to leave, Roxas called him. “Riku?”

The silver-haired teen stopped at the door, halfway into his own room already. “Yeah?”

“If you ever break into my room again, whether that be here, back home, or anywhere else, I will make sure that you wake up one morning bald.”

Riku couldn’t help but chuckle at the blonde’s threat. Even Roxas didn’t seem so serious about it, for his smile was slowly getting bigger.

“Good night Rox. See you in the morning.”

“Good night Riku and get some actual sleep.”

By the time morning came, Roxas was full of pent up energy, eager to tell Yen Sid about the news. He was so eager in fact that he had basically told the sorcerer everything, leaving Riku to fill in anything that was missing, which wasn’t much.

After Yen Sid heard their story, the man looked at Riku. “How sure are you that this voice is leading you on the right path?”

Riku touched a hand to his chest. “It’s what my heart is telling me to do, to listen to the voice. It feels right.”

Yen Sid gave a nod to Riku. “Very well then. You must do as your heart commands. Riku, Roxas, go forth into the realm of darkness and find the lost keyblade master and the source of the voice. May your heart be your guiding key.”

Riku and Roxas bowed and repeated the phrase. Then, they left Yen Sid’s chamber and walked into the next room which happened to be Kairi’s room.

“Roxas, why are we in Kairi’s room and what are they doing?” Riku asked.

“I was thinking about Kairi, so I guess the door just opened to the room that she was in. I wanted to say goodbye to her before we left. Although, I don’t know why Kairi and Luna are giving Lea a makeover,” the blonde teen replied.

Since Lea was facing the door, he gave them a wave. “Hey Roxas, Riku. Whatcha guys up to?”

Lea was sitting crisscrossed on the bed with Luna braiding his hair in a complex pattern and Kairi powdering his face. It seemed like Lea’s face was immaculately smooth, probably due to some sort of foundation, and his eyes were outlined in eyeliner. His lashes were covered in thick black mascara and was that glitter on his cheeks?

“I think we should be asking you that,” Riku said.

“I wanted to work on my makeup skills,” Kairi said without turning from her work.

“Lea was kind enough to be our model,” Luna said.

“Only real men let friends put makeup on them. And plus, it’s the least I could do for Kairi since she won her battle yesterday,” Lea said with a grin.

Roxas seemed to look a bit confused. “But Kairi, you don’t wear makeup.”

“I know,” she said, turning to look at the blonde. “But I want to learn so when I do wear makeup.”

Now Roxas seemed even more confused. “But you’re already beautiful. You don’t need makeup.”

Kairi smiled brightly at him and Riku couldn’t help but smile along. Sometimes Roxas’ bluntness came in handy.

“Aww, Roxas you’re such a sweetheart. If I wasn’t too busy making Lea pretty, I would go over there and smother you in hugs,” Kairi said.

Lea furrowed his brows. “Did you just insinuate that I wasn’t pretty before the makeup?”

“Shush Lea. I can’t finish if you keep talking.”

“Excuses, excuses.”

“So, what brings you two into my humble abode?”

Riku and Roxas looked at each other, having a silent communication. They seemed to be arguing over who would tell Kairi that they would be leaving. After a few rather choice hand gestures from Roxas, Riku rolled his eyes.

“We found a way to enter the realm of darkness and save Aqua and since we’re leaving, Roxas wanted to say bye to you since he’s a big baby.” Riku ended his explanation with a smirk pointed at the blonde teen.

Kairi stopped what she was doing and just looked down at the makeup brush in her hand. “So, you guys are leaving.”

“Uh, yeah,” Roxas said. “Right now, actually.”

Kairi didn’t look at any of them and it was really starting to worry Riku. He could see that even Roxas, Lea, and Luna were looking at her now with concern. It was almost as if she was frozen and he really couldn’t blame her. Sora had just left yesterday and now two of her closest friends were leaving the next day after already being used to having them around.

“Hey, Kairi?” Roxas went up to the girl and touched a hand to her shoulder. She looked up at him with slightly watery eyes and his heart broke at the sight. “We’re going to be back before you know it. Then, we’ll have Aqua with us and we’ll be much closer to stopping Xehanort. Then, we’ll be able to go home.”

“I know,” she said in a quiet tone. “Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you too and worry still.”

A small lopsided smile appeared on Roxas’ face and he gently pulled Kairi into a hug. “I’ll miss you too, Strawberry.”

What escaped Kairi’s lips was a mixture of a laugh and a groan. “It was one time Roxas.”

“Well you looked like a strawberry! Freckles, red skin, red hair… what else was I supposed to call you?”

Kairi pulled back and lightly patted Roxas’ cheek. “I’ll get you back for that one day. Your nickname is going to be so atrocious that you’ll have nightmares about it.”

“I’ll be looking forward to it then.”

Roxas proceeded to say goodbye to Lea and Lunafreya while Riku said his goodbye to Kairi.

“Come on Kairi don’t cry. You’re gonna make me cry then,” Riku said as he wiped away tears that escaped her eyes.

“That would be a first,” Kairi sniffled as she wrapped her arms around Riku and sighed. “If you don’t come back, I’ll jump into the realm of darkness and kill you myself. You hear me Riku? You better come back, both you and Roxas. I don’t know what I would do if I lost any one of you.”

“Right back at ya. I love you, you know that? We both do, which is why we’re gonna come back. I promise.”

“I love you guys too.”

With one last squeeze, Riku let her go only to hold out his pinky. Kairi chuckled and wrapped her own pinky around his.

“Didn’t know you were so childish Riku.”

Riku shrugged. “A friend of mine told me that it’s the only way to seal a promise, that and kissing but there’s no way in hell we’re gonna do that.”

This got a bubbly laugh out of Kairi and Riku couldn’t help but laugh along with her. He was glad that he was able to make her feel better. Yes, it hurt him to leave her, but he knew that she was strong enough to handle anything that came her way, even without them. He couldn’t wait when she would be able to travel with them and fight alongside them.

“I’ll be waiting for you guys to come back.”

“Don’t worry Kairi. Soon enough, it’ll be us waiting for you to come back from your own adventures.”

* * *

“Alright, see you in a bit Leon, Mickey.”

Roxas walked in to see Riku ending a video call on his phone. “Was that the Radiant Crew?” he asked as he took a sip from the water bottle he procured from the kitchenette.

“Yep, and no thank you Roxas, I wouldn’t like some water, but thanks for asking,” Riku replied.

Roxas rolled his eyes and threw the second water bottle he had grabbed, knowing exactly that the other boy was going to ask for one anyway. “Here you big baby. I’m not that heartless.”

Riku caught the bottle and looked at Roxas with a deadpan expression. “You can’t make Nobody jokes anymore.”

“I can do what I want. Just ‘cause you’re a grouch doesn’t mean I have to hide my remarkable humor from the world.”

“If only you had any sort of humor,” Riku mumbled as he sipped at his water. “Anyway, I told Leon and Mickey that we were heading on over because of the whole realm of darkness thing.”

“You sound so casual about it.”

“You want me to freak out, ‘cause I’ll definitely freak out. I’m trying not to freak out.”

“It’s not so bad.”

“Roxas, I think you forget that the realm of darkness kind of liked you because you were a Nobody. Now that you’re human, everything in that place is gonna be out to get you.”

“Always gotta ruin the fun.”

Riku gave the blonde an incredulous look. “Seriously, sometimes I just don’t know what to do with you anymore.”

Roxas took a seat, kicking his legs up over the armrest. “You’d be dead without me.” He waved his water bottle in the air only for water to spill over himself, for the cap had been loosely placed.

“Yeah, definitely,” Riku said in a voice that suggested otherwise. “Naminé seemed pretty happy when she heard we were coming over.”

Roxas nearly dropped his bottle. He could feel his cheeks starting to heat up and he tried to look as nonchalant about the whole statement, but he knew he probably looked rather stupid as he leaned his head way too back to look at the ceiling. “Oh? She was on the call too?”

“She happened to be walking past the lab.”

This seemed all too suspicious to Roxas. In order to get to the lab, you had to get into Ansem’s office first. There was no way you could walk by the lab unless you were actually heading to it. “And you didn’t happen to tell her that you were going to call Leon beforehand so she could be there too?”

“Oh, definitely not. And I definitely didn’t take screenshots of her reaction.”

Roxas nodded, pretending to act completely disinterested. “Cool, cool.” He leaned up to see Riku tapping away on his phone. A few seconds later, the blonde’s own phone pinged.

“Whoops. I accidentally sent you those screenshots too. Dang it.”

Okay now Riku was acting way too suspicious for Roxas’ liking. Why was he doing this? Was he trying to tell Roxas to stay away from Naminé in a weird way? Or worse, he knew about his feelings for Naminé and was telling him to back off. There also was the small possibility that Riku was sharing Naminé’s reaction with him because they were all such good friends. Yeah, that sounded like the best one to go with. Roxas would go with that one.

“Well I’ll _have_ to open the messages now to get rid of the annoying notification. Thanks a lot, Riku. Such an inconvenience for me.”

This was something that the two did a lot, saying things without _really_ saying them directly to each other. He wasn’t sure if it was a guy thing (he’d only been existing for a little over a year and didn’t really understand why there were sayings and behaviors associated with certain genders anyway) or if this was solely just a them thing. He noticed that it was usually Riku who would enact this sort of interaction. He wondered if there was something lying just underneath the surface that Riku was trying to tell him but couldn’t properly express or put into words.

And what did it have to do with Naminé? This also wouldn’t be the first time that the silvernette would bring up Naminé in a not so discreet manner. He’d ask how she was doing or if Roxas had been talking to her lately, but the blonde suspected that Riku knew the answer to those questions already. So, what was the purpose of asking them? Was he jealous that Naminé was talking to him?

All these questions swirled around in Roxas’ brain until he got sick of trying to figure them out. Instead, he focused his attention back to his phone and opened the message from Riku to see that he sent him three screenshots. They all showed Leon, Mickey, and Naminé, but Naminé’s expressions were different in each. In the first one, Naminé’s eyes were wide and her mouth formed a circle. He thought she looked rather cute. The second one showed her giving one of her signature soft smiles which always made Roxas feel all warm and bubbly. The last one was probably by far his favorite. Naminé was smiling brightly in this one. Her eyes were lit up with excitement and her cheeks had a slight rosy tint to them.

“That’s when I told her you were coming.”

Roxas shrieked, dropping both his bottle and phone on the floor at the sudden voice that spoke right next to his face. He turned around and glared at Riku as he began to laugh at the blonde’s rather hysterical reaction.

“Riku you jerk. Ever heard of personal space?”

“Can’t say that I have. Are they some sort of new music group you’re listening to or something?” Riku responded in between giggles.

Roxas narrowed his eyes at the silvernette as if he was trying to solve a complex problem. “Why?”

Riku’s laughs calmed to a light chuckle. He grinned at Roxas and ruffled his hair, getting a swat in response. “Just being a good supportive friend, that’s all.”

Roxas blinked back at the older teen. Did Riku think that he wasn’t a good friend to him? Sure, Roxas teased him and all that, but he never meant any disrespect by it. Riku was nothing but a great friend to him. “But you already are.”

Riku’s eyes crinkled at the corners as his grin grew. “Glad to know, but you can never have too much of a good thing so…”

“I’m pretty sure the saying is that there is such thing as too much of a good thing.”

The silvernette sat down in the pilot’s seat and adjusted a few things on the console. “Wow Roxas. You can’t let me be nice for once.”

“Ah ha! So you admit that you’re a jerk! See, everyone swoons over you, but I know the truth.”

“Ironic considering you just told me that I was an amazing friend.”

“I said you already were a _good supportive_ friend you liar.”

Riku shrugged and spun the seat so he faced Roxas. “Same thing.”

“And how is this being a good supportive friend? What are you playing at?”

Riku looked caught off-guard for a second, then shook his head and smiled. “You’re oblivious.” He stood up and patted Roxas on the head as he made his way past him.

The blonde frowned and pouted as the words hit him. “Wait, what do you mean? Riku!”

Roxas had spent the rest of the flight following Riku around the ship, bugging and pestering him for an answer to his question. Riku wouldn’t budge and would only smirk when the blonde would pout or grumble in frustration. Roxas’ annoyance didn’t last long, for when they landed in Radiant Garden, he instantly forgot about it and instead got a “head full of Naminé” as Lea had put it.

The two greeted Aeleus and Dilan as they made their way past the castle doors and into the maze of hallways. Roxas blew a raspberry in exasperation as he eyed the maze. “You’d think that after rebuilding the town that they would make getting to the lab easier.”

“I know right?” Riku replied as he made a right, Roxas following. “But hey, at least it’ll slow down intruders.”

“They’d have to get past Aeleus and Dilan first though, which would be unlikely.”

“You never know Rox. The world can surprise you and hit you with something unexpected. You think you’re prepared and then bam! You’re dealing with something you never thought you would have to face.”

“You’re talking about when the islands fell to darkness?”

“I mean, that’s part of it, but I was mostly referring to you.”

“Me?” Roxas stopped before they could make the next turn and pursed his lips in thought. He wasn’t sure what Riku meant by that. “What do you mean?”

Riku backtracked, for he had gone a few paces ahead when Roxas had stopped. He faced the blonde and looked at him with what Roxas could only describe as utmost conviction. “I was never prepared for my best friend to turn into a heartless, but more than that, I was completely caught off guard when I found out that his other half came into existence. When I was told that I would eventually have to take you so you could have your memories wiped, I thought it would be easy, but it wasn’t. Ripping you away from your life and then the fake one Diz had created for you were the hardest things I ever had to do Roxas, because I saw that you had a heart. I saw it even though no one else would.”

A sudden thought hit Roxas, one that had never come to him before. “Those clues you left for Sora… they weren’t just so he could find the Data Twilight Town.”

“Diz had told me to get rid of them, but I couldn’t. If I did, no one would ever know about you. I wanted Sora to at least know who woke him up, who fought when he couldn’t. Yeah, you lived on in his heart, but I wanted you to also live on in his memories. And when he wished he could have met you, I felt glad that he felt something for you.”

“He wasn’t the only one that wanted to meet me, was he?”

Riku shook his head. “Yeah, Naminé wanted to meet you again too, but I also had wanted to see you again. It was weird because I never thought that I would have that feeling for someone I barely even knew. I wished that I could have been your friend during that time and that things could have gone differently, but somehow in my heart, I knew that everything had to happen the way it did.”

“If Sora had never stepped into Castle Oblivion, I don’t think I would have ever met you Riku. And the thought of not ever knowing you hurts.” Roxas’ brow furrowed, and a small frown appeared on his face. “Why are you saying this now? Is something gonna happen? Are you planning to make some sort of big self-sacrifice?”

Riku shook his head and placed his hands on Roxas’ shoulders. “Don’t worry. Nothing bad is gonna happen regarding that. It’s just… something that I’ve been wanting to tell you for a while, that’s all.” His hands slipped away, and he stuffed them in his pockets. “So yeah, you’re my something unexpected, but I’m glad you came into my life. You make it more exciting.”

“Riku I-” But Roxas couldn’t get the words out, for he was being pulled into a bone crushing hug by the taller teen. It took a few seconds for the blonde to reciprocate the gesture. He had just been so shocked with everything that Riku just poured out to him. Yes, he had known that Riku felt guilty over what he had done, but he never knew that the silvernette had missed his nonexistence despite not really knowing him during that time. It warmed Roxas’ heart to know that someone had missed him, that someone had wanted him back. Sure, Axel had too, but when Riku spoke about the way he felt when Roxas had become one with Sora, it was different. There was a different light in his eyes. It was almost like he was being filled with more life.

“I know I’ve said this before, but you are one of my closest friends Roxas. You’re so important to me that I don’t know what I’d do if you had never appeared in my life. I’m so grateful that I’m lucky enough to have you as a friend.”

Roxas felt bubbly inside. There was no other way to put it. There was just something about the sincerity in Riku’s words that hit him hard and made him feel good about himself. Roxas felt like he was a relatively good person, and he liked who he was. But Riku saying all these things about him and expressing how important he was to him; it made the blonde feel special. It made him feel proud that there was something that only he could make his friend feel. It was a nice feeling.

He took the moment to really analyze his relationship with Riku. This was something that Roxas had done a lot when he was still learning his way around relationships and emotions. Riku was his friend – that he knew for certain – and Roxas acted differently with each of his friends. Some he felt more comfortable with and others he was more reserved. Riku was someone he felt comfortable and safe around. Riku was someone that was always honest and somewhat protective over his friends. Roxas felt like he could tell him anything.

Well, almost anything. He still hadn’t told him about his feelings for Naminé. That was something that would probably cause problems for the two, and he didn’t want that. Riku was just too good of a friend to lose.

And it’s not necessarily that Roxas thought that Riku would be mad. More like, the silvernette would feel inclined to take a step back and let Roxas be more open with his feelings to Naminé. Roxas didn’t want Riku giving up his happiness for him. He deserved just as much as him to be happy.

Roxas wondered just what type of friendship he and Riku had. He compared it to his relationship with Lea. Lea was someone he could be himself around, but so was Riku. But there were certain differences between Lea and Riku that made the relationships different. With Lea being an adult, there were certain things that the redhead sometimes didn’t really understand or relate to, but he would always try to help as much as he could from his past experience as a teen. Riku, being a teenager himself, could understand and relate to a lot of things that Roxas experienced. However, Roxas’ friendship with Lea was special in the way that they both had been in the Organization, they both lost Xion, they both knew what it had been like to be Nobodies, and they both had lost each other. So, Lea and Roxas understood each other in those aspects that no one else could. But Riku had been through a lot of hurt and self-torment, so he understood when Roxas sometimes questioned himself, his character, and his decisions.

He knew that Riku was one of his closest friends, so did that make him a best friend? Would that even make sense? His relationship with Lea was different from the one he had with Riku, so wouldn’t that mean that Riku couldn’t be a best friend? But then the same could be said for close friends and each of his relationships with his close friends was slightly different too.

So yes, Roxas decided that Riku was indeed one of his best friends. He wondered if Riku knew that. He deserved to know that. “You’re important to me too Riku. You’re one of my best friends.”

He heard Riku take in a sharp breath, then tighten his hold. So maybe Riku never knew how important he actually was to him. He was glad that the silvernette knew now, and if his reaction was anything to go by, then it was safe to assume that Riku was just as glad to hear it.

“Thanks, Roxas,” Riku said.

They pulled back and Roxas was once again confused. “What for?”

Riku shrugged with a bright smile on his face. “For being you.”

There was something else and Roxas could see it. It was in Riku’s eyes that he could see that there was something else that the older boy wanted to say. There was something that he was holding back. “You look like you wanna tell me something.”

Riku’s smile faltered and for a second, Roxas thought that he was going to deny the observation, which was why he was surprised when he didn’t. “This is all I can say for now. It’s as close as I can get to saying it anyway. I don’t think I’m quite ready to give away anymore.”

Roxas gave a small understanding smile and nodded. “Then I’ll be here waiting for whenever you are ready.”

No more words had to be said on the matter. Riku’s smile was more than enough to let Roxas know that he understood. They continued navigating through the halls, making casual conversation, and complaining here and there about the layout of the castle.

Once they turned the last corner, Roxas let out an “oof” as a sudden force collided with him. He wrapped his arms around whatever or whoever had crashed into him and nearly fell back but luckily held his ground. He instantly recognized the pale blonde hair that entered his vision.

“Naminé?”

She looked up, a blush on her cheeks. She looked embarrassed at first, but her expression quickly became one of joy as she realized just who she had crashed into. “Roxas, you’re here! I was just on my way to greet you.”

He chuckled and pushed a few stray strands of hair behind her hair. “Well, you found me.”

Her smile only grew and Roxas’ heart nearly stopped. “Or maybe you found me.”

Roxas’ heart felt bubbly again, but it was more intense. He felt so bubbly that he thought he might just explode right then and there. Naminé always gave him this overwhelming warm feeling. He knew that this feeling was love. He had known it for a good while. It was a different love from the one he felt for his friends. This love was unique and one he only felt for the girl before him.

He felt like he could just look into her sky-blue eyes all day and he probably would have if he didn’t remember that Riku was still with them. He turned to see that the silvernette was indeed still there, but he was watching them with an almost soft smile on his face. There was another underlying emotion there but Roxas couldn’t seem to decipher it.

“Don’t mind me,” Riku said somewhat sarcastically.

Naminé rolled her eyes and pulled away from Roxas. She walked up to Riku, stood on her tip toes, and flicked him on the tip of his nose. “Jealous much?”

“Oh please,” the silvernette said. “Enough people already love me ‘cause I’m that amazing.”

“Ah, you’re right. Like your work husband. That’s what Kairi called Roxas anyway.” Naminé giggled at the way that Roxas’ mouth fell open.

“What do you two talk about?” the blonde asked, wondering just how much more Kairi discussed with Naminé.

The petite blonde winked and put a finger to her lips. “Girl stuff.”

“Which means they’re plotting against us,” Riku leaned in to say into Roxas’ ear.

“Exactly, but that’s for another time,” Naminé teased as she began to walk to the lab, the boys following her. “But right now, you guys have more important matters to attend to, like the realm of darkness. You really think you can find Aqua?”

“We have to,” Riku said with determination.

“And what about the voice that was calling you there? If it isn’t Aqua, do you think you can find them too?”

“If their connection to me was strong enough to reach out to the realm of light, then it should be even stronger to reach me in the same realm that they are in.”

“Plus,” Roxas jumped in, “he has me by his side, so there’s nothing to worry about. I’ll make sure that he doesn’t get himself killed or anything.”

“Make sure that you both look out for each other. Both of you have to come back, got it?” Naminé gave them both a pointed look, one that Roxas knew too well. It was her “you better not do anything stupid” look.

When they stepped into the lab it was to be greeted by Mickey, Leon, and surprisingly Even. Leon spoke up, quickly cutting to the chase.

“Alright, so here’s how this is going to go. Mickey, Riku, and Roxas are going to open a gateway to the realm of darkness. Once they’re inside, our job out here is to wait for them. When they come out, I’ll be ready to take care of any heartless that try to make their way out with them. Even is going to be here waiting to tend to Aqua and anyone else that may need medical attention. Are we clear?” Everyone nodded in agreement and Leon continued. “We don’t want you in there any longer than you have to be. Get in and get out as quickly as possible.”

“Don’t worry Leon. We don’t want to be there any longer than we need to,” Mickey said with a reassuring smile.

They headed down to the Heartless Manufactory, deciding that if anything were to get out of the realm of darkness, it would be better to handle it down there rather than in the lab. If Roxas was being completely honest, the place was eerie to be in. Just seeing all the pods with captured hearts, it was extremely unsettling. It always got him thinking just who these hearts used to belong to and how they lost them. Yes, he knew that Ansem’s apprentice, Xehanort, had done some gruesome things in the name of research, but he couldn’t have possibly taken all these hearts by force, right?

“You look a little pale there Roxas. Are you feeling alright?” he heard Leon say.

“Yeah,” the blonde teen said. “I just can never get used to being here.”

“I hear you. It really makes you think.”

“More like question,” Riku murmured.

“Definitely,” Even agreed. “And I took part in those questionable experiments. I constantly ask myself how I was able to participate in something so vile and inhumane. If I could, I would rid the castle of this manufactory.”

“Why don’t you?” Roxas asked.

“Hearts are very complex and cannot simply be destroyed. When a heart is lost, it doesn’t completely cease to exist. That was shown especially through Sora when he lost his own heart and became a Heartless. He was able to regain his heart, proving that hearts aren’t completely lost. Now if I were to destroy this facility, the hearts would be freed and a great amount of Heartless would come into existence.”

“So, they just stay in there forever?”

“Until we know more about the mechanics of the heart after being released, they will have to unfortunately stay in there.”

“So, when a heart is released, it doesn’t disappear completely. Where does it go then?” asked Leon.

“Naminé has a rather interesting theory on the matter.”

The pale blonde clasped her hands and stepped forward. “Well, you know how the heart holds memories, how it technically is memory?”

“Yeah. I mean, we saw it with Sora,” Riku answered.

“Precisely. When the memories in Sora’s heart were tampered with, it affected everyone connected to him. Now going based off that, if Sora’s heart were to somehow technically disappear, than all memory of him would cease to exist. However, when he did lose his heart, even it if was brief, that wasn’t the case. People still retained their memories of him. I think that when a person loses their heart, small fragments of it still live on in other people, which would explain why they’re still remembered.”

“It’s one I am rather inclined to agree with,” Even stated. “And it may even help in figuring out how to release all these captured hearts safely, but that is a problem for another time. Right now, there are more pressing matters at hand.”

Everyone turned to Mickey, Riku, and Roxas who made their way to the middle of the floor a good distance away from the others. Riku summoned Way to Dawn, Mickey brought out Kingdom Key D, and Roxas called for Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

“You guys ready?” Riku asked looking at them.

Mickey and Roxas gave firm nods.

“Alright. All in then.”

The three placed their keyblades together as if they were about to unlock a door. Nothing happened for a few seconds, and Roxas began to think that maybe nothing would. Maybe the voice had been wrong, or they were the ones doing something wrong. But once he felt a tingle of energy running through Oathkeeper and Oblivion, his doubt began to fade away.

A single beam of light shot out from their joined blades, making a white door outlined in black appear. Roxas had never seen anything like it. From what he could recall from Sora’s memories, the door to darkness was supposed to be a large white door that towered above them. This door not only had black outlines, but it was also the size of your average door.

“Isn’t it supposed to be bigger?” the blonde teen asked.

“The original door to darkness is larger, but maybe this isn’t that. Maybe, we’ve summoned a smaller passageway into the realm of darkness, one that will be easier to close,” Mickey replied.

“So, like some secret backdoor?”

Mickey nodded. “Yep. That’s what it seems like.”

“Well that secret backdoor isn’t gonna open itself,” Leon said from his spot.

“Easy for you to say,” Riku said as he stepped forward and grabbed the handles of the door. “You’re not the one about to go into some dark and twisted world where everything is out to kill you.”

Leon shrugged. “Sounds like you’re talking about regular life if you ask me.”

“Dark, Leon,” Naminé giggled.

Riku opened the door and almost instantly, black wispy tendrils began to seep out. Roxas tried to peer over the taller teen to see what was beyond the door, but all he could see was darkness. It was unnerving to know that they were going to walk into pitch black darkness, not knowing where they were going to be spit out.

Riku made a grim expression as he stared into the never-ending darkness. Roxas, noticing the silvernette’s slight hesitation, lightly nudged him with an understanding smile. “Hey, good thing we’re all kind of familiar with the place, right?”

Riku’s eyes softened and the smallest hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. “Right.”

With a final good luck from Leon, the trio stepped into the darkness that seeped from the door. The last thing that Roxas saw as he gave one last glance back was Naminé’s smiling face. He’d make sure to keep that memory alive as he trekked through the dark realm.

* * *

“So, you’re a princess? Like a royal princess?”

“I believe Merida has already stated more than enough times that she is indeed a royal princess of an actual kingdom, Prompto.”

Prompto ignored Ignis’ comment and continued with his onslaught of questions. “You sure you’re not a princess of something else too?”

Merida turned her head to the freckled blonde and regarded him with a suspicious look. “What else would I be a princess of but my own kingdom?”

“Just curious. Say, you wouldn’t by the off chance happen to have any special abilities would you?” Prompto asked the question in such a nonchalant manner and didn’t look at the girl as he presented the question. He wanted to seem as ordinary about it as possible.

Gladio didn’t seem to think it was working, for he let out a snort at the blonde’s attempt. “Very subtle Prom. Very subtle.”

“Ahh, you’re asking if I’m a witch,” Merida said as she nodded like everything made sense now. “Trust me laddie, if I was a witch, I would have taken care of the monster problem already.”

“Don’t you have any guards to help ya out?” Goofy asked. “What is the princess doing out here by herself?”

Merida seemed to tense up at the question a bit, as if she seemed offended. She relaxed shortly after and turned around, walking backwards, so she was facing the group. “Most of the guards are too busy protecting the castle from invasions from the neighboring clans. They think that we’re somehow sending the enemies to them.”

“That’s crazy!” Sora exclaimed. “Why would they think that? There’s no way you could create those monsters.”

Merida winced. “There was a wee incident that happened last year that involved a witch and some magic. They think that we’re using the witch to create those monsters.” She turned around and faced forward again. “Because there’s so many guards throughout the castle right now, there’s not many that are searching for the source of the monsters, so I might have left the castle without telling Mum or Dad.” She shrugged as if the whole thing were no big deal. “If you want something right, you’ve got to do it yerself.”

“Preach,” Gladio said.

“So, you said you had seen who was summoning the monsters?” Sora asked as he kicked a pebble around in the dirt.

“I caught a glimpse of them, yes. I think it was a boy or man. He was wearing some sort of mask so I couldn’t see his face. And he was wearing all black,” Merida said. “I had never seen him around these parts before. As soon as I saw him, he disappeared.”

Prompto didn’t miss the look that Sora, Donald, and Goofy sent them their way. There was no doubt that whoever Merida had seen was from the Organization.

“Don’t worry Merida. We’ll take care of him,” Donald promised.

“We will provide any aid we can on your endeavor to ensure your kingdom’s safety,” Ignis said.

Merida flashed a toothy smile at them. “Glad to hear it.”

They continued their trek through the seemingly endless forest making small talk and getting to know each other more. Prompto paid more attention to the beauty that was the nature of this forest. Now that Merida was here, he couldn’t pull out his camera and take anymore photos, so he would just have to commit as much of this to memory as he possibly could.

As a result of taking in his surroundings, he fell behind the group. Ignis would turn his head every minute or so to make sure that he was still behind them. Only Ignis would worry whether a 21-year-old man was still keeping up.

It wasn’t until Merida and Ignis somehow got into a conversation over some sort of pastry that apparently turned her triplet brothers into bears, that Prompto heard it. He heard a whisper.

The whisper was inaudible as to what it was saying. It just sounded like random gibberish, but it was whispering, nonetheless. He stopped and looked for the source of the sound. He squinted as he saw a little blue speck on a stray path and realized that the whispering was coming from it. He began to walk to it, and it seemed to jump the closer he got to it. When he was close enough to reach out and touch it, the blue speck flew a short distance away and stopped, as if waiting for Prompto to follow.

So, he did.

He followed the blue speck and realized that he felt a slight tug in his heart. It was a familiar tug that was associated with Sora. Was this thing leading him to Sora? But that wouldn’t make sense because he had just been with Sora. Why would it lead him away from Sora just to lead him back to the teen?

The blue speck led him to a small clearing in the forest and instantly disappeared. It seemed empty at first, but then Prompto saw a figure standing off to the side, leaning against a tree with their arms crossed.

“Who are you?” Prompto asked.

The figure pushed themselves off of the tree and stepped further into the clearing. “Darkness,” they answered.

Prompto took in the figure’s appearance. They were wearing a black coat that could only be associated with a certain Organization. Their face was covered with a black helmet. Or was it a mask?

“Why do you feel like Sora?” the blonde asked, noticing that the person kept walking toward him. They weren’t any taller than him. As a matter of fact, they seemed to reach his shoulders height wise so Prompto wondered just how old this person was. They definitely sounded young and a tiny bit familiar if Prompto was being honest.

The masked person chuckled darkly. “You ask too many questions.”

“What do you want?” Prompto asked, hoping that he had put enough firmness in his voice to cover up the nervousness that was peeking underneath.

“To get a better look at you. You’re the prince’s heart so I’ve been told. Wanted to see what all the fuss is about.” The mysterious figure reached up and pulled off their mask.

And Prompto could only gasp in horror.

It was Sora. He was looking back at Sora’s face, and yet, this boy wasn’t Sora. His expression was dark and cynical, his smirk conniving and mischievous, his eyes full of malice. The only physical differences between this boy and Sora were the eyes and hair. This boy had piercing golden eyes and dark black spiky locks.

“You look spooked Prompto,” the boy said, his smirk growing.

“You… you’re not Sora. You can’t be.”

“That rucksack? Hell no.”

“Then why do you look like him?” At this point, it was becoming much more difficult for Prompto to hide the tremor in his voice.

“Because, he holds the heart of my other half.”

“Other half? Wait, are you a Nobody?”

The boy let out a cackling laugh. “I already told you, I’m darkness. I’m the darkness of my other half.”

Prompto blinked, unsure what to make of the rather vague information. “Who’s your other half?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” There was a brief silence before the boy spoke again. “I’m surprised you’re not asking me the real important questions.”

“The real important- wait, you’re the one that’s summoning those monsters!”

“Ding ding! There you go _Prom_. You caught me.”

“Why?” Prompto hissed. “Are you trying to get at the Princess of Heart?”

“Princess of Heart? Sorry to burst your bubble but there isn’t one, at least not from this world.”

“Then… then why-”

“Why am I terrorizing this world? Simple. Because I can. Maybe because I wanted to get a glimpse of the closest person to my other half. Maybe, I just wanted to release all my pent-up negative energy. Maybe it’s all of the above.”

The blonde grit his teeth and summoned Quicksilver, having the gun ready at his side. “So, it’s a just ‘cause you can type of thing then.”

“Pretty much Prom.”

“Don’t call me that. Don’t you fucking call me that.”

“And here I thought we were starting to become friends. Hmm, I wonder…”

In a sudden quick movement, the boy shot dark energy out toward Prompto and the blonde could only cross his arms up in front of his face and close his eyes to wait for the inevitable blow. When he didn’t feel anything, he opened his eyes to see a rather smug and impressed look on the boy’s face.

“The hell was that?!” Prompto asked in slight panic. Was the darkness inside him? Maybe he was dead, and he didn’t know it. Or maybe-

“I guess… I missed,” the boy said with a noncommittal shrug. He then summoned a dark portal that appeared behind him. “We’ve got big plans in store for the prince. In the meantime, I’ll have my fun here while I still can.” The boy gave Prompto one last cold smirk as he backed into the portal. “See you later, Prompto.”

As soon as the boy left, Prompto let out the breath he had been holding and fell to his knees. He began to shake as he tried to process what had just happened. He didn’t even know who he just spoke with. All he knew was that the boy looked exactly like Sora and was somehow connected to Sora in some way.

And it was freaking Prompto out majorly.

He didn’t hear the footsteps approaching him or hear the voices calling out to him. He did however feel someone grab his shoulder and he was instantly on high alert. He pushed himself away and scooted back, taking in who had approached him.

It was the boy’s face but with different hair and eyes. For a split second, the boy’s eyes flashed from their blue to yellow from the glare of the sun and his hair looked black as Prompto tried to blink his vision into clarity.

He pointed his gun at him, eyes wide and breath shaky. He felt a sudden rush of worry, but it wasn’t his. All he felt was fear right now.

“Prom?”

“Don’t call me that?! I told you to stop calling me that!” Prompto screamed as he felt his trigger finger twitch.

“Prompto-”

“Shut up or else I’ll blow your brains out! Just shut up!”

The boy before him looked worried and a bit scared. There was no malintent written on his face. His brows were raised in concern and his eyes were wide with something akin to fear. He wasn’t sure who the boy was feeling scared for though.

“Prompto.”

The blonde heard another voice, this one unique and different. He slowly turned his head to see a man with glasses a few feet away from the boy. The man held his hands up in a show of peace but didn’t move.

“Prompto, point the gun to me.”

Prompto, feeling a sense of commanding familiarity, listened to the man. He pointed Quicksilver at him and felt his hand begin to shake.

“Prompto, look at me.”

He couldn’t look at him though. All he could think about was the boy and his words and how he said them. He could only think about how the boy seemed to have no guilt or remorse. He only wanted to cause pain.

“Prompto Argentum,” the man said a little more firmly.

Prompto met the man’s calm green eyes. He knew this man. He knew him but couldn’t put a name to him.

“Prompto, do you know where you are?”

Prompto blinked and realized that he didn’t even know where he was. He saw trees behind the man, and he knew he was sitting on grass, but he didn’t know exactly where he was, and that made him panic even more.

“Prompto, it’s alright. You’re in DunBroch. We came here to look for a Princess of Heart, remember?” He took a step forward, hands still raised. “We’re in a forest right now. You must have wandered off, but that’s alright because we found you again.” The man kneeled in front of him and gave him a soft smile. “You’re safe now Prompto. Nothing can hurt you.”

He knew who this was now. This was Ignis, one of his close friends and someone he admired. Ignis would never hurt him. He never had.

“Iggy?” Prompto croaked.

Ignis gently took the gun from his grasp and stowed it away. “Yes, Prompto. It’s me, and you’re safe now.”

He felt a touch on his hand and realized that it was Ignis’ fingers. Prompto was familiar with the process. Ignis would start off with a small touch to ground him, to make sure that he knew this was real.

Ignis was now running his hand up and down Prompto’s arm until it was on his shoulder. He squeezed the blonde’s shoulder lightly and then placed his hand behind Prompto’s neck and pulled him in for a hug.

Prompto let out a choked sob and buried his face in Ignis’ chest. He fisted the man’s shirt, not caring in the slightest at the moment that he was wrinkling it profusely. Ignis didn’t seem to mind, for he only held Prompto close and carded a hand through his hair.

“Shhh, Prompto. It’s okay. It’s alright. Everything is fine. I’m here now.”

Prompto was immensely grateful to have someone like Ignis by his side. He had been the first one to pick up on his panic attacks back on Eos and had helped him get through each and every one.

After the first one, Prompto had apologized so many times but Ignis had only shut him down, saying that he knew all too well the feeling of a panic attack. It was surprising to Prompto that someone as composed as Ignis had ever had panic attacks.

“Training to be the future king’s adviser can induce a lot of stress and anxiety, especially to a teenager,” Ignis had explained.

Ignis had been the one to pick up on the panic or anxiety that Prompto would exhibit before going into a cave or facing a particularly nasty daemon, and he always was there to help him. Ignis never judged him or thought any less of him either.

Just like now. Ignis was not thinking any less of him. He was only intent on making sure that Prompto was okay, and the blonde couldn’t be more thankful. He focused on the warmth emitting from Ignis and his soothing ministrations. Ignis had never rushed him out of an attack. He always told Prompto to take his time no matter how long it would be.

Prompto wasn’t sure how long this attack took until his breathing finally steadied. He pulled away and sat up, wiping his eyes. Ignis was still on his knees, watching Prompto’s movements.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Better thanks to you Iggy,” Prompto replied with a small chuckle.

A gentle and relieved smile spread on Ignis’ face as he regarded Prompto, really making sure that he definitely was okay. “Any time. Is it alright if everyone else comes over here?”

“Yeah, yeah of course.”

And then it hit him. He had been pointing a gun, a loaded gun, at Sora. He was so ready to pull the trigger and shoot one of the most important people in his life. It was only because of Ignis that Prompto hadn’t gone through with it.

Ignis being Ignis, picked up on Prompto’s worry instantly and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Prompto, take a breath and when you’re ready, we’ll stand together.”

The blonde nodded and took a much-needed deep breath. When he felt ready, he grasped Ignis’ hand and they stood together. He turned to see his friends looking at him with concern. He hated that he had scared them, especially Sora.

“Are you okay Prompto?” Sora asked.

Prompto wanted to laugh because here was this boy that he had just threatened, asking him if he was okay. He walked up to him and cradled his face, seeing that yes, this was Sora and no one else. He hugged the brunette closely and let out a relieved sigh.

“I should be asking you that buddy. I was the one that just nearly killed you,” Prompto said.

“Don’t worry Prom. You could never hurt me. I trust you.”

Those words nearly brought Prompto to tears again. He only hugged Sora tighter one last time before pulling away. “I’m sorry. I just freaked out ‘cause you look exactly like him.”

“Like who?” the boy asked, suddenly piqued with a newfound worry.

Prompto bit his lip as he thought about how he should go explaining that he met a boy that was basically Sora’s evil twin. There was no easy way to go about it, so he might as well start from the beginning. “There was this blue floating orb that was whispering, and I followed it.”

“You followed a strange whispering orb?” Gladio asked with a raised brow.

“I thought it was trying to tell me something dude. You’d probably follow it too if you saw it.”

“Prompto’s right,” Merida said. “What you saw was a will-o’-the-wisp.”

“A willow what now?” Prompto asked, brows furrowing in confusion.

“Will-o’-the-wisp. They’re said to lead you to your fate or something to change it, whether it be treasure or doom. What did it lead you to?”

“A… a boy – the one summoning the monsters. When I asked who he was, he said he was darkness.” Prompto began to shrink into himself, but a pat from Ignis made him stand tall again. “He said a lot of things that didn’t make sense.” Prompto gave a knowing look to the group, one that told them they would discuss more in detail later when Merida wasn’t around. One thing he did have to talk about was the boy’s appearance. If they ran into him, he didn’t want everyone to be completely freaked out. “Thing is, the kid… he, he looks exactly like you Sora.”

Sora was taken aback by what the blonde said. “He looks like me?”

“I mean he’s like your twin or something. He has your face, your height. The only differences are that his hair is black, and his eyes are yellow and he’s a complete douchebag.”

“So, an evil twin,” Gladio supplemented.

“I don’t have a twin though…” Sora said as he idly thought to himself. “Wait, is that why you were…” He trailed off, but he didn’t need to finish his thought for Prompto to understand what he was getting at.

“I just saw you and, well saw him instead. It terrified me and I don’t know why. He was just so nonchalant about wreaking havoc. Maybe that’s what scared me the most, the fact that he’s causing pain for no particular reason other than ‘cause he wants to.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that Prom,” Sora said with an empathetic smile. “Seeing someone that looks exactly like a friend in a twisted way, it couldn’t have been easy.”

Prompto was reminded that Sora knew exactly what he was feeling right now. The kid had seen his best friend possessed and turned into something he was not. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Sora had also had a detailed nightmare that depicted Prompto as something evil and cynical. Yet, Sora was still here by his side, smiling.

“Sorry I pointed a gun at you and almost ‘blew your brains out.”

“It was getting a little boring walking through the forest anyway,” Sora said with a shrug, trying to make light of the conversation. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

It was a no muss, no fuss situation. Everyone was fine and no one had gotten physically hurt. There were still things Prompto had to go over with the others regarding the mysterious boy that he couldn’t say in front of Merida. It would have been different if he knew she was a Princess of Heart, but after what the boy told him, he wasn’t too sure. He could have been lying, but something told Prompto that that boy had been completely honest with him throughout their encounter.

“Do you know where he went?” Merida suddenly asked.

Prompto shook his head. “He just disappeared, but considering he wants to wreak havoc, he’s probably gonna go where there’s people.”

Merida stilled. “The village, the castle. We have to head there before he hurts anyone.”

And so, they continued to follow the redhead into the woods. Prompto noticed that the farther they travelled, the more of those weird monsters began to pop up. At first it was one here and there, but as they continued, one turned into two at a time, then four, six, and so on. That had to mean that they were getting closer to reaching the village.

Unfortunately, they weren’t close enough when nightfall came around. It was dark and cold, and a good portion of them already looked worn out from the constant walking, including Merida. The only ones that actually seemed that they could go on for another hour or two before dropping dead were Gladio and Sora. Usually Ignis would be included in that group, but Prompto suspected that his panic attack from earlier took a toll on the adviser, for he had remained composed in order to help him.

It took a great amount of convincing Merida to set up camp, and by set up camp it meant finding a spot in the forest that wouldn’t get them killed. As soon as Gladio volunteered to take first watch, Merida made a space for herself on the ground and fell asleep. As much as the others wanted to drift off as well, they knew that they needed to take this opportunity to discuss what happened with Prompto’s encounter.

They stood a short distance away from Merida. Prompto knew he had to be the one to start this conversation. It wasn’t one he wanted to relive, but it was necessary.

He sighed and caught Sora’s eye, the boy giving him an encouraging smile, and that was all the push he needed. “The boy said he wanted to see why I mattered so much to Noct. It was strange. I don’t know why that would interest him in any way.”

“Considering how cynical he is,” Gladio began. “He was probably trying to get a read of you so he could know how to hurt you when he needs to.”

“Ugh, that doesn’t make me feel better.”

Gladio shrugged. “It wasn’t supposed to.”

“He claims he wanted to see you,” Ignis said with a hand to his chin in thought. “But that cannot be the only reason why he decided to come here.”

“You mean aside from the nonsensical destruction?” Gladio said with a raised brow.

“There was something else he said, something that confused me,” Prompto said as he turned to Sora. “He said that he wanted to get as close to seeing his other half as possible. He said that he’s the darkness of his other half, and that the heart of his other half is in you Sora. He’s the darkness of that heart you hold apparently.”

Sora’s eyes widened in shock, telling Prompto that the boy had no idea what he was talking about. This was just as new to Sora as it was to Prompto and everyone else.

“And I think he’s telling the truth. I could… I could feel him, and the only way that were to happen would be…”

“If he’s connected to my heart in some way,” Sora finished as he stared at nothing in particular.

“Gawrsh, is that why the will-o’-the-wisp led you to the boy? ‘Cause he’s connected to Sora’s heart? Maybe your fate is to help whoever is in Sora’s heart,” Goofy said.

“I don’t know. He just gave off this very bad feeling. What if the wisp was leading me to him for another reason?” Prompto asked.

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. I’m not sure.”

Like a switch had been flipped, Sora was back to being his optimistic cheery self. “Come on Prompto, you’ve gotta think positive. Maybe it’s just leading you on the path to putting an end to the monsters appearing on this world.”

Even though Sora was smiling, Prompto could feel that the boy wasn’t happy. He could feel the worry gnawing at him, the fear over the uneasiness he felt at all this new information. He didn’t want to worry him more, so he just gave a small smile of his own and nodded, hoping that his heart didn’t give away his true emotions.

“Right,” he said.

“Anything else he said?” Gladio asked.

“He said they had big plans in store for the prince, for Noct.”

“They? Who’s they?” Donald asked.

“I don’t know. I’m assuming he was talking about those Organization jerks.”

“So they do need Noct for their plan,” Ignis said. “If that’s the case, why haven’t they used him to fulfill his purpose yet?”

“Maybe they need all seven Princesses,” Sora suggested.

“Oh yeah, that’s another thing he mentioned. There’s not a Princess of Heart here,” Prompto said, and as soon as he did, a look of disappointment washed over everyone.

“So you’re saying we came here for nothing?” Donald asked.

“Now I wouldn’t go as far as to say that. After all, this world does need help still, doesn’t it,” Ignis said.

“And we met some evil twin that’s connected to me in some weird way, so there’s that. He’s probably the reason why my heart - or whoever else’s heart is in me - led me to this world in the first place,” Sora said as he lightly touched the spot just over his heart.

“Not a complete loss then,” Ignis said. “What will be a complete loss is if we do not get some proper sleep before the next person switches places with Gladio.”

“I’ll go second, whenever that is. I’m not that tired anyway,” Sora said with a little too much enthusiasm for a 16-year-old volunteering for night watch.

Prompto didn’t get much sleep before he was taking his turn for night watch. His thoughts were constantly swirling over today’s events, especially after knowing what the purpose of those wisps were. Yes, Sora said that his fate was probably connected to ridding this world of the mysterious boy’s wrath, but the blonde couldn’t help but linger on the idea.

Merida said that the wisp could lead you to treasure or doom, either leading you to your fate. An unsettling feeling stirred in him every time he thought about the wisp leading him to an evil boy as part of his fate. What if the wisp led him there for a different reason? Maybe Sora was wrong, or partially wrong.

Prompto couldn’t help but wonder if there was more to fate than something as simple as good and bad. And if there was, where did that leave him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so proud of my boy Riku for finally opening up more to Roxas. It's not a complete confession and not anywhere near to giving our blonde boi the hint of what's lying underneath Riku's words, but it's a start. I really wanted to let some more insight into how each of them feels about each other. Riku with not only how much he loves Roxas in a romantic sense but as a friend, and Roxas with how much he loves Riku as one of his best friends.
> 
> And we finally see another familiar face in DunBroch. I had a variety of ideas in how to bring him into the story and I followed none of them. In the end, I was thinking about the will-o'-the-wisps and thought, "Oh that would be cool to put in the story." And I realized that it would also create some cool symbolism stuff or whatever you want to call it.
> 
> I've been wanting to write an Ignis and Prompto moment for like ever and I finally found the chance to do it in this chapter! I totally feel like Ignis would be that friend that's always the first one to notice that something's wrong or bugging someone else. This man cares about his boys so much and I don't doubt that he would be there for Prompto through a panic attack.
> 
> Speaking of panic attack, writing my sunshine boi having one was painful! He deserves good and only good and I freak him out with Sora's evil twin. I am a terrible person. My boy deserves only good things DX
> 
> What did you guys think about everything that happened in this lovely chapter? I'd really like to know!
> 
> Anyway, until next time my lovelies! <3
> 
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**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: @l-curasha-l


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